Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 and Its Relationship with Central Precocious Puberty in Girls
Xiaojing Hao, Jiangya Wang, Ran Zhou, Meng Sun, Yaying ChengAbstract
Background
Studies have found that obesity and insulin resistance are linked to central precocious puberty (CPP) in girls, while serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels are associated with obesity and insulin resistance and related to ovarian development, reproductive function, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron development. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of serum FGF21 in CPP in girls.
Methods
This study enrolled 106 girls aged 6-10 years who were evaluated at the hospital’s Growth and Development Clinic. The cohort comprised 55 girls diagnosed with CPP as the case group and 51 age-matched girls with normal growth and development as the control group. Data including age, age at onset of puberty or menarche, anthropometric measurements, IGF1 levels, bone age (BA), ovarian and uterine development, hormone profiles, β-Klotho and FGF21 levels were collected and statistically analyzed.
Results
Bone age advancement, IGF1, β-Klotho and FGF21 levels showed statistically significant differences between the CPP and control groups. FGF21 and β-Klotho levels were negatively correlated with CPP, with areas under the ROC curve of 0.833 and 0.770, respectively, while the optimal cutoff values were 156.28 pg/ml and 7057.18 pg/ml. In girls with CPP, the level of FGF21 was weakly positively correlated with the level of β-Klotho (r=0.273).
Conclusions
Compared with age-matched girls with no pubertal initiation, the serum levels of FGF21 and β-Klotho were significantly lower in girls diagnosed with CPP, suggesting that FGF21 levels may be involved in the regulation of puberty, while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be further investigated.