What Is Fibroblast Growth Factor 1? Definition and What Research Reports
Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1), also called acidic FGF, is a small heparin-binding signalling protein in the 22-member fibroblast growth factor family. It is produced by many mammalian tissues and acts through FGF receptors to influence cell growth, blood-vessel formation, metabolism and tissue repair. Published work is overwhelmingly preclinical: studies in rodents and cell models have reported effects on insulin resistance, diabetic kidney injury, angiogenesis, endometrial thickness and fibrosis, plus altered FGF1 expression in some tumours and in obesity.
Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) — historically called acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) — is a small, single-chain signalling protein of roughly 140–155 amino acids that belongs to the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. It binds heparin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix and signals through cell-surface FGF receptors (FGFR1–4), and it is unusual within the family in that it can activate all four receptor subtypes. In the research literature the term "FGF1" is used both for the endogenous protein expressed by mammalian tissues and for the recombinant protein (or engineered variants of it) used as a laboratory reagent in cell culture and animal experiments. This page is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; consult a licensed physician with any questions about health, medicines or research compounds.
What class of molecule is it, and where does it come from?
FGF1 is a growth factor — a protein signalling molecule rather than a short synthetic peptide. It is classed as a paracrine FGF, meaning that in normal physiology it acts locally on nearby cells, in contrast to the endocrine FGFs (FGF19, FGF21, FGF23) that circulate as hormones. Naturally, FGF1 is expressed across many tissues, including adipose tissue, kidney, liver, vasculature, brain and heart, and in laboratory settings it is most often supplied as a recombinant human protein produced in bacterial expression systems, sometimes stabilised or truncated to improve thermal stability or reduce mitogenic signalling.
Because FGF1 lacks a classical secretion signal peptide, researchers describe its release as occurring through non-classical, stress-dependent export pathways. Its dependence on heparan sulfate cofactors is also central to how experiments are designed: heparin is frequently added to cell-culture media in FGF1 studies to stabilise the protein and support receptor binding.
How the term is used in peptide and growth-factor research
In peptide and protein research writing, "fibroblast growth factor 1" generally appears in one of four contexts:
- As an endogenous signalling molecule whose expression or circulating level is measured as a biomarker in a disease state.
- As an administered recombinant protein in animal or cell models, given to test metabolic, regenerative or anti-fibrotic effects.
- As a transgene or pre-conditioning agent, where cells are transfected with FGF1 or exposed to it before transplantation.
- As a family reference point, where FGF1 is compared with related ligands such as FGF4 or FGF21 to distinguish receptor specificity and downstream pathways.
It is worth noting that FGF1 is not the same molecule as the many short research peptides that share the "growth factor" label in popular discussion. It is a full folded protein, and the published work on it is almost entirely preclinical.
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Metabolic and insulin-sensitising findings
A substantial share of FGF1 research concerns glucose handling and inflammation. In a 2019 investigation, researchers reported that FGF1 improved insulin resistance through repression of JNK-mediated inflammation in their experimental models, linking the growth factor to an anti-inflammatory signalling mechanism rather than to a direct insulin-mimetic action (PMID 31866871). Work on the wider family has taken a different route: one study reported that centrally administered fibroblast growth factor 4 produced sustained remission of type 2 diabetes in rodents, which the authors used to argue that brain-directed FGF signalling can reset glucose control (PMID 37167965).
FGF1 has also been measured as a circulating analyte. A 2018 study characterised fibroblast growth factor 1 in obese children and adolescents, examining how measured concentrations related to obesity-associated clinical variables in that population (PMID 30299902). In a non-mammalian model, the study of mule ducks reported that FGF1 was involved in regulating fatty liver disorder, describing a mechanism linking the growth factor to hepatic lipid handling (PMID 38733755). Separately, a hepatology report measured leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2 alongside the endocrine family member FGF21 in alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis, illustrating how FGF-family proteins are used as candidate circulating markers (PMID 35070009).
Kidney findings in diabetes models
Two studies address diabetic kidney disease. A 2018 report in Kidney International stated that FGF1 ameliorated diabetic nephropathy through an anti-inflammatory mechanism in the models tested (PMID 28750927). More recently, researchers reported that FGF1 alleviated diabetic nephropathy by reducing renal lipid accumulation in the diabetic kidney, adding a lipid-handling explanation to the earlier inflammation-based account (PMID 41696093).
Angiogenesis, tissue repair and fibrosis
FGF1's original characterisation as a mitogen for fibroblasts and endothelial cells is reflected in regenerative studies. One report found that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells transfected with fibroblast growth factor 1 promoted angiogenic proliferation (PMID 28281780). A later study engineered exosomes from FGF1 pre-conditioned adipose-derived stem cells and reported that they promoted survival of ischaemic skin flaps by activating autophagy (PMID 39534677). Autophagy also featured in a rat reproductive-tissue model, where the study reported that FGF1 ameliorated thin endometrium through activation of the autophagic pathway (PMID 37153783).
In the lung, researchers reported that fibroblast growth factor-1 attenuated TGF-β1-induced lung fibrosis, positioning FGF1 as a counter-regulator of a canonical pro-fibrotic pathway (PMID 27425145).
Expression in tumour tissue
Because FGF1 is a mitogen, its expression in cancer tissue has been examined. A 2015 study described the expression and clinical significance of fibroblast growth factor 1 in gastric adenocarcinoma, reporting on how expression patterns related to clinical features in the sampled tumours (PMID 25792845).
Summary table of reported research contexts
| Research area | Model type | Reported focus |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin resistance | Preclinical | Repression of JNK-mediated inflammation (PMID 31866871) |
| Diabetic nephropathy | Animal | Anti-inflammatory mechanism (PMID 28750927); reduced renal lipid accumulation (PMID 41696093) |
| Angiogenesis | Cell / transfected stem cells | Promoted angiogenic proliferation (PMID 28281780) |
| Ischaemic tissue survival | Animal (skin flap) | Exosome-mediated autophagy activation (PMID 39534677) |
| Endometrial thickness | Rat | Activation of autophagic pathway (PMID 37153783) |
| Pulmonary fibrosis | Preclinical | Attenuation of TGF-β1-induced fibrosis (PMID 27425145) |
| Hepatic lipid handling | Mule duck | Regulation of fatty liver disorder (PMID 38733755) |
| Biomarker measurement | Human observational | Characterisation in obese children and adolescents (PMID 30299902) |
| Tumour expression | Human tissue | Expression in gastric adenocarcinoma (PMID 25792845) |
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The verified literature summarised here is mechanistic and preclinical, and the published abstracts describe effects on disease models rather than a catalogued safety profile in humans. No controlled human safety dataset for administered FGF1 appears among these papers. The main limitation researchers themselves raise in this field is mitogenicity: FGF1 activates all four FGF receptors and is a potent stimulator of cell proliferation, which is why expression studies in tumour tissue such as the gastric adenocarcinoma analysis exist at all (PMID 25792845). Findings generated in rodents (PMID 41696093) or in ducks (PMID 38733755) do not automatically transfer to people, and results obtained with engineered exosomes or transfected cells describe those specific delivery systems rather than the plain protein (PMID 39534677).
Recombinant FGF1 sold for laboratory work is a research reagent and is not an approved medicine. Nothing on this page describes a protocol, and none of the cited studies constitute guidance for use.
Related terms
- Acidic FGF (aFGF) — the older name for FGF1.
- FGFR1–4 — the tyrosine kinase receptors through which FGF1 signals.
- Paracrine vs endocrine FGFs — FGF1 is paracrine; FGF21 and FGF19 are endocrine.
- FGF4 — a related ligand studied in central-nervous-system metabolic models (PMID 37167965).
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- Engineering exosomes from fibroblast growth factor 1 pre-conditioned adipose-derived stem cells promote ischemic skin flaps survival by activating autophagy (Materials Today Bio, 2024)
- Sustained remission of type 2 diabetes in rodents by centrally administered fibroblast growth factor 4 (Cell Metabolism, 2023)
- Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 Improves Insulin Resistance via Repression of JNK-Mediated Inflammation (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2019)
- Fibroblast growth factor 1 alleviates diabetic nephropathy by reducing renal lipid accumulation in diabetic kidney (World Journal of Diabetes, 2026)
- Characterization of fibroblast growth factor 1 in obese children and adolescents (Endocrine Connections, 2018)
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 1-Transfected Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Angiogenic Proliferation (DNA and Cell Biology, 2017)
- Fibroblast growth factor 1 ameliorates diabetic nephropathy by an anti-inflammatory mechanism (Kidney International, 2018)
- Mechanism of fibroblast growth factor 1 regulating fatty liver disorder in mule ducks (Poultry Science, 2024)
- Fibroblast growth factor 1 ameliorates thin endometrium in rats through activation of the autophagic pathway (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023)
- Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2 and fibroblast growth factor 21 in alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis (World Journal of Hepatology, 2021)
- Fibroblast growth factor-1 attenuates TGF-β1-induced lung fibrosis (The Journal of Pathology, 2016)
- Expression and clinical significance of fibroblast growth factor 1 in gastric adenocarcinoma (OncoTargets and Therapy, 2015)
Frequently asked questions
What is fibroblast growth factor 1 in one sentence?▾
FGF1, also called acidic FGF, is a small heparin-binding signalling protein in the fibroblast growth factor family that acts through FGF receptors to influence cell proliferation, blood-vessel formation, metabolism and tissue repair. It is a folded protein rather than a short synthetic peptide, and most published work on it is preclinical, including metabolic studies in rodent models (PMID 31866871).
Is FGF1 a peptide or a protein?▾
It is a protein. FGF1 is roughly 140–155 amino acids long, folds into a beta-trefoil structure and depends on heparan sulfate cofactors for stable receptor binding. Researchers group it with paracrine FGFs, which act locally, rather than with the endocrine family members such as FGF21 that circulate as hormones and are measured in serum studies (PMID 35070009).
What do studies report about FGF1 and glucose metabolism?▾
One study reported that FGF1 improved insulin resistance by repressing JNK-mediated inflammation in its experimental models (PMID 31866871). Related family work reported that centrally administered FGF4 produced sustained remission of type 2 diabetes in rodents (PMID 37167965). A separate human observational paper characterised circulating FGF1 in obese children and adolescents (PMID 30299902).
Has FGF1 been studied in kidney disease?▾
Yes, in animal models of diabetic kidney disease. A 2018 report stated that FGF1 ameliorated diabetic nephropathy through an anti-inflammatory mechanism (PMID 28750927). A later paper reported that FGF1 alleviated diabetic nephropathy by reducing renal lipid accumulation in the diabetic kidney (PMID 41696093). Both were preclinical, so findings describe the models studied rather than clinical outcomes in people.
Why is FGF1 mentioned alongside angiogenesis and tissue repair?▾
FGF1 was originally characterised as a mitogen for fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Researchers reported that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells transfected with FGF1 promoted angiogenic proliferation (PMID 28281780), and that exosomes engineered from FGF1 pre-conditioned adipose-derived stem cells promoted ischaemic skin flap survival by activating autophagy (PMID 39534677).
What does the literature say about FGF1 and fibrosis?▾
One study reported that fibroblast growth factor-1 attenuated TGF-β1-induced lung fibrosis, framing FGF1 as a counter-regulator of that pro-fibrotic pathway (PMID 27425145). In the liver, a study in mule ducks described a mechanism by which FGF1 regulated fatty liver disorder (PMID 38733755). Both are laboratory and animal findings, not human clinical evidence.
Is FGF1 an approved medicine?▾
No. Recombinant FGF1 is supplied as a laboratory research reagent, and the published literature summarised on this page is mechanistic and preclinical rather than clinical. Because FGF1 activates all four FGF receptors and is strongly mitogenic, its expression has also been examined in tumour tissue, such as gastric adenocarcinoma (PMID 25792845). This page is educational, not medical advice.
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References
This page summarises published research for education — it is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to use, purchase, or dose any substance. Study parameters described are what researchers reported, not instructions. Consult a qualified clinician before any health decision.