title: Basic Science for the Clinician 52: adipokines.
abstract: Adipocytes, the cells that maintain fat stores and influence energy metabolism, produce a variety of messengers, called adipokines (or adipocytokines). These proteins have broad reaching effects on glucose and fat metabolism, but also influence inflammation, by modulating the production of inflammatory cytokines and modifying how established cytokines such as interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α themselves induce or modulate inflammation; some of these proteins are produced by synovial tissue adipocytes, suggesting a very direct effect on the modification of local inflammation. Adipokines provide mechanisms that might explain accelerated atherosclerosis and impaired glucose metabolism in some of our chronic inflammatory diseases and offer potential unique therapeutic approaches to control these and other manifestations of inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA. lensigal@gmail.com
authors.forename: Leonard H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sigal
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000502:physiology; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D054392:Adipokines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000502:physiology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines