title: Adipokines: therapeutic targets for metabolic syndrome.
abstract: For a long time it has been known that obesity (adiposity) is linked to insulin resistance. Recently, many investigators have reported that adipocytes secrete a variety of bioactive molecules, termed adipokines (adipocytokines), including TNFalpha, IL-6, leptin, adiponectin, resistin and so on. These adipokines play pivotal roles in energy homeostasis by affecting insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid metabolisms, food intake, the coagulation system and inflammation. This review provides a summary of these adipose tissue-secreting biomolecules and discusses their feasibilities as drug targets for the treatment of metabolic syndrome.
authors: Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. nihisak@intmed3.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors: Kunihisa
authors: K
authors: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D052242:Adiponectin; D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D020738:Leptin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000502:physiology; D052243:Resistin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000093242:Interleukin-6 Inhibitors
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D016207:Cytokines; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020738:Leptin; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D052243:Resistin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000093242:Interleukin-6 Inhibitors; C499624:RETN protein, human; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human