Fibroblast Growth Factor–21 Ameliorates Rheumatoid Arthritis by Maintaining Articular Integrity

Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic degenerative autoimmune disease is hallmarked by tenacious inflammation of synovial membranes causing cartilage destruction and bone erosion. The search for effective therapies to mitigate its degenerative conditions remains partly elusive. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is known to modulate inflammation, playing a significant role in immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we histopathologically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of FGF21 in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. CIA mice were subcutaneously treated with FGF21 (3 mg/kg) for three consecutive weeks. Arthritic severity was scored followed by histopathological evaluation of the joints and immunohistochemistry using rabbit ant-cathepsin K, IL-10, MMP1, and 3 antibodies. Our data revealed that FGF21 significantly mitigated the severity of arthritis. Histopathologically, the articular structure was considerably enhanced by FGF21 through the reduction in the expression of cathepsin K and MMP3 whiles upregulating the expression of IL-10. Taken together, our findings suggest that FGF21 preserves the integrity of the articular structure thereby preventing cartilage and bone destruction in CIA mice. FGF21, therefore, has therapeutic prospects in the treatment of RA.