Adiponectin and its receptors in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
There is increasing interest in the influence of excess body weight and associated metabolic factors on the liver. In patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, lower levels of adiponectin were associated with higher grades of hepatic steatosis and necroinflammatory activity, suggesting a pathophysiological role for this adipokine in liver disease.


METHODS
We studied 194 consecutive patients with untreated chronic HCV, to assess the relationship between adiponectin and its receptors and hepatic steatosis, fibrosis and inflammation.


RESULTS
Significant negative correlations between serum adiponectin and male gender, body mass index and serum insulin were observed. However, there was no association between serum adiponectin and stage of fibrosis and lower levels of serum adiponectin were associated with the presence of steatosis in males only. In contrast, there was a significant increase in serum adiponectin and hepatic adiponectin immunoreactivity with increasing inflammation. The hepatic mRNA expression of the adiponectin receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, displayed significant but opposite associations with phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene expression, a substitute marker of hepatic insulin sensitivity.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with chronic HCV, adiponectin was associated with steatosis only in males and was paradoxically increased with inflammation. Our results suggest that the role of adiponectin in chronic liver diseases may be linked to gender and etiology.
Jonsson
Julie R
JR
School of Medicine, Southern Division, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. j.jonsson@uq.edu.au
Moschen
Alexander R
AR
Hickman
Ingrid J
IJ
Richardson
Michelle M
MM
Kaser
Susanne
S
Clouston
Andrew D
AD
Powell
Elizabeth E
EE
Tilg
Herbert
H
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000276:immunology; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP) / Q000276:immunology; D054419:Receptors, Adiponectin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology
C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; C475418:ADIPOR1 protein, human; C475420:ADIPOR2 protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D054419:Receptors, Adiponectin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP)