title: Adiponectin actions in the cardiovascular system.
abstract: Obesity is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Levels of the hormone adiponectin are downregulated in obese individuals, and several experimental studies show that adiponectin protects against the development of various obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Adiponectin exhibits favorable effects on atherogenesis, endothelial function, and vascular remodeling by modulation of signaling cascades in cells of the vasculature. More recent findings have shown that adiponectin directly affects signaling in cardiac cells and is beneficial in the setting of pathological cardiac remodeling and acute cardiac injury. Several of these effects of adiponectin have been attributed to the activation of the 5' AMP-activated protein kinase signaling cascade and other signaling proteins. This review will discuss the epidemiological and experimental studies that have elucidated the role of adiponectin in a variety of cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Cardiology/Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin