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Erschienen in:
12.03.2019 | Original Research Paper
Fibroblast growth factor 21 deficiency aggravates obesity-induced hypothalamic inflammation and impairs thermogenic response
Erschienen in: Inflammation Research | Ausgabe 5/2019
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Objective and design
Hypothalamic inflammation is closely associated with metabolic dysregulation. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is known to be an important metabolic regulator with anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of FGF21 deficiency on obesity-induced hypothalamic inflammation and thermogenic responses.
Materials and methods
FGF21-deficient mice and/or wild-type (WT) mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks.
Results
FGF21-deficient mice fed an HFD showed increased levels of inflammatory cytokines compared with WT obese control, and this was accompanied by upregulation of gliosis markers in the hypothalamus. Expression of heat-shock protein 72, a marker of neuronal damage, was increased in the FGF21-deficient obese mice, and the expression of hypothalamic neuronal markers involved in anti-thermogenic or thermogenic responses was altered. Moreover, the protein level of uncoupling protein 1 and other thermogenic genes were markedly reduced in the brown adipose tissue of the FGF21-deficient obese mice.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that FGF21 deficiency aggravates obesity-induced hypothalamic inflammation and neuronal injury, leading to alterations in hypothalamic neural circuits accompanied by a reduction of the thermogenic response.