Suppression of Cutibacterium Acnes-Mediated Inflammatory Reactions by Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 in Skin

The study investigates the role of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) in mitigating inflammation caused by Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes), a bacterium linked to acne. FGF21 was found to inhibit C. acnes-induced inflammation in the skin by acting through a receptor complex of FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) and β-Klotho (KLB). Experiments on HaCaT cells and mouse ears showed that FGF21 counteracted the activation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and downstream signaling pathways, reducing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α. These results suggest that FGF21 could be a potential treatment for acne by suppressing C. acnes-induced inflammation.