CXCL17 promotes cardiac fibroblasts proliferation and fibrosis by up-regulating bFGF in a positive loop

Cardiac fibroblasts play a crucial role in the development and progression of cardiac fibrosis. The expression and function of CXCL17 has been unclear in cardiac fibrosis. In this study, we demonstrated CXCL17 was highly expressed in cardiac fibroblasts of cardiac fibrosis patient samples. In vitro, CXCL17 promotes cardiac fibroblasts proliferation by activating AKT signaling and up-regulating bFGF in a positive feedback loop. The synergistic effects of CXCL17 and bFGF on cardiac fibroblast proliferation can be attributed to their shared AKT signaling pathway. Additionally, in vivo CXCL17 increased cardiac fibrosis in isoprenaline induced mice cardiac fibrosis model and could be reversed by CXCL17 blocking antibody. Collectively, the identification and understanding of the CXCL17-bFGF loop in cardiac fibrosis have opened up new avenues for developing targeted therapies.