Introduction: Feline obesity is common, afflicting ~25-40% of domestic cats. Obese cats are predisposed to many metabolic dyscrasias, such as insulin resistance, altered blood lipids, and feline hepatic lipidosis. Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 (FGF21) is an endocrine hormone that mediates the fat-liver axis, and in humans and animals, FGF21 can ameliorate insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and obesity. Activation of the FGF21 pathway may have therapeutic benefits for obese cats.
Methods: In this preliminary cross-sectional study, fed, purpose-bred, male-neutered, 6-year-old, obese and overweight cats were administered either 10 mg/kg/day of an FGF21 mimetic (FGF21; = 4) or saline (control; = 3) for 14 days. Body weight, food, and water intake were quantified daily during and 2 weeks following treatment. Changes in metabolic and liver parameters, intrahepatic triglyceride content, liver elasticity, and gut microbiota were evaluated.
Results: Treatment with FGF21 resulted in significant weight loss (~5.93%) compared to control and a trend toward decreased intrahepatic triglyceride content. Cats treated with FGF21 had decreased serum alkaline phosphatase. No significant changes were noted in liver elasticity, serum, liver, or metabolic parameters, or gut microbiome composition.
Discussion: In obese and overweight cats, activation of the FGF21 pathway can safely induce weight loss with trends to improve liver lipid content. This exploratory study is the first to evaluate the FGF21 pathway in cats. Manipulation of the FGF21 pathway has promising potential as a therapeutic for feline obesity. Further studies are needed to see if FGF21-pathway manipulation can be therapeutic for feline hepatic lipidosis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1072680 | DOI Listing |
Diabetes Obes Metab
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Background: Given the potential role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in stimulating energy expenditure, activating BAT can be an effective anti-obesity treatment. Here, we aimed to use adenoviruses to establish the effect of the inducible degrader of the low density lipoprotein receptor (IDOL) in the formation of BAT.
Methods: IDOL or green fluorescent protein was overexpressed by adenovirus and injected into the scapula of C57BL/6J mice and fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks.
J Cell Mol Med
December 2024
Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy.
Int J Biol Macromol
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China; Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China; Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address:
β-Klotho (KLB), a type I transmembrane protein, serves as an obligate co-receptor determining the tissue-specific actions of endocrine fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). Despite accumulative evidence suggesting the occurrence of N-glycosylation in the KLB protein, the precise N-glycosites, glycoforms, and the impacts of N-glycosylation on the expression and function of the KLB protein remain unexplored. Employing a mass spectrometry-based approach, a total of 12 N-glycosites displaying heterogeneous site occupancy and glycoforms were identified within the extracellular region of the recombinant human KLB protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Biochem Biotechnol
December 2024
Academy of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, 111 Ren'ai Road, SD334F, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a potential serious disease, which almost has no available medicine for effective treatment today. Efruxifermin is a bivalent Fc-FGF21 candidate drug developed by Akero Therapeutics that has shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials for NASH and may be approved in future. However, it is produced by Escherichia coli (E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
November 2024
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
Background: The ketogenic diet (KD) is a widely used intervention for obesity and diabetes, effectively reducing body weight and blood glucose levels. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the KD influences body weight and glucose metabolism are not fully understood. While previous research has shown that the KD affects the gut microbiota, the exact role of microbiota in mediating its metabolic effects remains unclear.
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