Adiponectin: a biomarker of obesity-induced insulin resistance in adipose tissue and beyond.
Adiponectin is one of the most thoroughly studied adipocytokines. Low plasma levels of adiponectin are found to associate with obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and many other human diseases. From animal experiments and human studies, adiponectin has been shown to be a key regulator of insulin sensitivity. In this article, we review the evidence and propose that hypo-adiponectinemia is not a major cause of obesity. Instead, it is the result of obesity-induced insulin resistance in the adipose tissue. Hypo-adiponectinemia then mediates the metabolic effects of obesity on the other peripheral tissues, such as liver and skeletal muscle and may also exert some direct effects on end-organ damage. We propose that deciphering the molecular details governing the adiponectin gene expression and protein secretion will lead us to more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of insulin resistance in the adipose tissue and provide us new avenues for the therapeutic intervention of obesity and insulin resistance-related human disorders.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan, ROC.
Jin-Ying
JY
Lu
Kuo-Chin
KC
Huang
Lin-Chau
LC
Chang
Ying-Shing
YS
Huang
Yu-Chiao
YC
Chi
Ta-Chan
TC
Su
Chi-Ling
CL
Chen
Wei-Shiung
WS
Yang
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*
D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers