Fig. 1

Impact of critical illness on FGF21, and of FGF21-loss on critical illness-induced mortality and body-weight loss. a Plasma FGF21 concentrations in healthy and critically ill Fgf21^+/+ mice. b-c Relative mRNA expression of Fgf21 in liver and gastrocnemius muscle of healthy and critically ill Fgf21^+/+ mice. Gene expression data are shown relative to the mean of healthy Fgf21^+/+ mice at each time point. d Survival of critically ill Fgf21^+/+ and Fgf21^−/− mice. In the acute phase study (not shown), 2 of 17 (11.8%) Fgf21^+/+ mice and 2 of 17 (11.8%) Fgf21^−/− mice died within 30 h after CLP (p > 0.99). In the 5 days study, 8 of 27 (29.6%) Fgf21^+/+ mice and 5 of 23 (21.7%) Fgf21^−/− mice did not survive the preset time period of critical illness (Logrank p = 0.5). e Starting total body weight of mice included in the 30 h and the 5 days study. f Change in body weight after 5 days of critical illness or pair-feeding in Fgf21^+/+ and Fgf21^−/− mice as compared to baseline. a-c, f Healthy control, Fgf21^+/+: n = 15 at 30 h, n = 21 at 5 days; Healthy control, Fgf21^−/−: n = 15 at 30 h, n = 24 at 5 days; Sepsis, Fgf21^+/+: n = 15 at 30 h, n = 19 at 5 days; Sepsis, Fgf21^−/−: n = 15 at 30 h, n = 18 at 5 days. e Healthy control, Fgf21^+/+: n = 36; Healthy control, Fgf21^−/−: n = 39; Critically ill, Fgf21^+/+: n = 44; Critically ill, Fgf21^−/−: n = 40. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 between healthy control and critically ill mice and §§§ p < 0.001 between Fgf21^+/+ and Fgf21^−/− mice