Abstract
Diabetes type 2 has become an increasing global health problem in recent years and cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death in this group of patients. Insulin resistance, which mainly concerns adipose tissue, skeletal muscles and the liver, is a dominant phenomenon in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Overwhelming evidence that diabetes increases mortality and deteriorates the quality of life supports the importance of searching new markers of insulin resistance which may be a potential target for the therapy. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) is newly discovered, a unique member of the FGF family that functions as an endocrine hormone. It has been reported as a potent metabolic regulator, which in animal models has been shown to improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. FGF-21 acts as an activator of glucose uptake on adipocytes, protects animals from diet-induced obesity when overexpressed in transgenic mice, it lowers blood glucose and improves lipids profile when therapeutically administered to diabetic rodents. The most recent scientific research suggests that FGF-21 improving insulin sensitivity, may be a novel and attractive drug candidate for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, especially obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, further investigations are required to determine whether the unique metabolic effects of FGF-21 shown in rodents and primates are also present in humans.
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