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FGF21: a promising therapeutic agent for alcoholic cardiomyopathy? †
Author(s) -
Romanello Vanina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.5654
Subject(s) - fgf21 , alcoholic cardiomyopathy , oxidative stress , biomarker , cardiomyopathy , pathological , medicine , regulator , cardiac fibrosis , heart failure , cardiology , bioinformatics , fibroblast growth factor , biology , biochemistry , gene , receptor
The metabolic regulator fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has been reported as a cardioprotective factor regulating cardiac remodeling in several cardiac diseases. In a recent issue of The Journal of Pathology , Ferrer‐Curriu, Guitart‐Mampel et al investigated FGF21 in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). They showed that FGF21 deficiency aggravates alcohol‐induced cardiac damage and dysfunction by exacerbating mitochondrial alterations, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolic dysregulation, suggesting FGF21 as a promising therapeutic agent in ACM. Paradoxically, FGF21 cardiac and circulating levels correlate with cardiac damage and oxidative stress in patients with ACM, pointing to FGF21 as a potential biomarker of alcohol‐induced cardiac damage. Further studies are needed to address when FGF21 can be used as a diagnostic biomarker and when it can be used as a therapeutic agent to treat ACM. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.