Longevity & AgingHeart Hormone FGF21 Fights Cardiac Hypertrophy by Clearing Damaged Mitochondria
Researchers have uncovered a key mechanism by which the hormone FGF21 protects against cardiac hypertrophy: it activates PINK1-mediated mitophagy, a cellular housekeeping process that removes damaged mitochondria. Using mouse models of pressure-overload (TAC surgery) and cell-based phenylephrine stress, the team showed that FGF21 knockout worsened mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiac decline, while FGF21 treatment restored mitophagy and cardiac function in a PINK1-dependent manner. Crucially, the study also found that FGFR1—the receptor through which FGF21 signals—becomes downregulated as heart failure progresses, potentially explaining why rising FGF21 levels in failing hearts fail to protect them.
