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Int J Biol Sci 2018; 14(9):1000-1011. doi:10.7150/ijbs.25026 This issue Cite

Review

The role of FGF21 in type 1 diabetes and its complications

Jian Zhang^1,2, Wenya Weng³, Kai Wang^2,4, Xuemian Lu³, Lu Cai^2,5✉, Jian Sun^1✉

1. The Center of Cardiovascular Disorders, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
2. Pediatrics Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
3. The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Ruian Center of Chinese-American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications, Ruian, China.
4. The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
5. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

✉ Corresponding authors: Dr. Jian Sun, Department of Cardiology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China. E-mail: sunjianemailcom; Dr. Lu Cai, Pediatric Research Institute, University of Louisville, 570 S. Preston Street, Baxter I, Suite 304F, Louisville, KY 40202, USA. E-mail: l0cai001edu More

Abstract

Data from the International Diabetes Federation show that 347 million people worldwide have diabetes, and the incidence is still rising. Although the treatment of diabetes has been advanced, the current therapeutic options and outcomes, e.g. complications, are yet far from ideal. Therefore, an urgent need exists for the development of more effective therapies. Numerous studies have been conducted to establish and confirm whether FGF21 exerts beneficial effects on obesity and diabetes along with its complications. However, most of the studies associated with FGF21 were conducted in the patients with type 2 diabetes. Subsequently, the effect of FGF21 in the prevention or treatment of type 1 diabetes and its complications were also increasingly reported. In this review, we summarize the findings available on the function of FGF21 and the status of FGF21's treatment for type 1 diabetes. Based on the available information, we found that FGF21 exerts a hypoglycemic effect, restores the function of brown fat, and inhibits various complications in type 1 diabetes patients. Although these features are predominantly similar to those observed in the studies that showed the beneficial impact of FGF21 on type 2 diabetes and its complications, there are also certain distinct features and findings that may be of provide important and instructive for us to understand mechanistic insights and further promote the prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Keywords: FGF21, Type 1 diabetes, Diabetic complications

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