Study summary · research use only
Follistatin and follistatin-like 3 in metabolic disorders
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review article summarizes existing research on follistatin (FST) and follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3), glycoproteins that antagonize transforming growth factor β superfamily members, and their possible connection to metabolic disorders. The authors describe a small number of studies examining these proteins in type 2 diabetes, obesity, and gestational diabetes, with fewer studies on type 1 diabetes, and note that findings across these studies have been contradictory, preventing firm conclusions about FST and FSTL3's exact roles. Species and study type are not specified, as this is a literature review rather than an original experiment. The authors call for further research to clarify the roles of follistatin and follistatin-like 3 in the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity.
Abstract
Follistatin (FST) is a glycoprotein which main role is antagonizing activity of transforming growth factor β superfamily members. Folistatin-related proteins such as follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) also reveal these properties. The exact function of them has still not been established, but it can be bound to the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. So far, there were performed a few studies about their role in type 2 diabetes, obesity or gestational diabetes and even less in type 1 diabetes. The outcomes are contradictory and do not allow to draw exact conclusions. In this article we summarize the available information about connections between follistatin, as well as follistatin-like 3, and metabolic disorders. We also emphasize the strong need of performing further research to explain their exact role, especially in the pathogenesis of diabetes and obesity.
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