Serum fibroblast growth factor 19 levels are decreased in Chinese subjects with impaired fasting glucose and inversely associated with fasting plasma glucose levels.

OBJECTIVE: Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), a hormone secreted from the small intestine, has recently been shown to stimulate glycogen synthesis and inhibit gluconeogenesis through insulin-independent pathways. This study investigated the change of FGF19 in prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and explored the association of serum FGF19 levels with parameters of glucose metabolism in Chinese subjects.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Fasting serum FGF19 levels were determined by ELISA in 81 normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 91 impaired fasting glucose (IFG), 93 impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and 104 newly diagnosed T2DM subjects, and their association with parameters of glucose metabolism was studied. An ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed in subjects with NGT, IFG, and T2DM. Serum FGF19 levels at 2 h after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test in the different glucose tolerance categories were studied in a subgroup.

RESULTS: Fasting serum FGF19 levels in subjects with IFG (210 pg/mL [142-327]) (median [interquartile range]) and T2DM (196 pg/mL [137-280]) were significantly lower than those in NGT subjects (289 pg/mL [224-393]) (both P < 0.001). However, no significant difference in fasting FGF19 levels was observed between IGT (246 pg/mL [138-379]) and NGT subjects. Fasting serum FGF19 levels were negatively associated with fasting plasma glucose and independently associated with the deterioration of glucometabolic status from NGT to IFG and T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS: Fasting serum FGF19 levels were decreased in Chinese subjects with IFG and inversely associated with fasting glucose levels.