A total of 100 participants, comprising 47 newly diagnosed T2DM patients and 53 age-matched healthy controls, were recruited. T2DM patients were assigned to 12 weeks of exenatide treatment. Their FGF21 levels and other metabolic parameters were measured before and after exenatide treatment.
T2DM patients had significantly higher FGF21 levels than the controls. No difference in FGF21 was found between overweight and non-overweight control subgroups. In T2DM patients, exenatide treatment resulted in decreases in BMI, HbA1c, total cholesterol and triglycerides, and also in FGF21 (149.17 ± 81.36 vs 102.17 ± 64.12 ng/mL; P < 0.01). Homoeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was also decreased [3.02 (2.10–4.63) vs 2.56 (1.80–4.13); P < 0.05] while homoeostasis model assessment for β-cell function (HOMA-B) was significantly higher after treatment [32.30 (17.82–59.42) vs 72.56 (46.63–99.58); P < 0.05]. The change in FGF21 (ΔFGF21) was negatively correlated with changes in fasting insulin (Δinsulin, r = −0.306; P < 0.05) and C-peptide (ΔC-peptide, r = −0.319; P < 0.05) levels.
Besides the improvement in insulin resistance and recovery of β-cell function, 12 weeks of exenatide treatment may also play a role in lowering FGF21 levels in T2DM patients.