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Published on: October 16, 2009
Osthole Activates FGF21 Expression by Mediating Activation of ATF4 in Human Hepatocyte HepG2 Cells
Akishi Taguchi1, Masaya Araki1, Tomoya Yamashita1
1Division of Complex Biosystem Research, Department of Research and Development, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
Abstract:
Osthole is a natural coumarin derivative found in several medicinal plants, including Cnidium monnieri and Angelica pubescens. It has been studied for its various biological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, osteogenic, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, and antiparasitic effects. Osthole was found to induce Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) expression. Among the known transcription factors that regulate FGF21 induction, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) expression was found to be upregulated by osthole. Additionally, as osthole induced ATF4 downstream gene expression, it was concluded that it activates ATF4 signaling. ATF4 knockdown significantly suppressed osthole-mediated induction of FGF21 expression. These findings suggest that osthole activates FGF21 expression via ATF4 activation.
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