title: Visfatin/PBEF/Nampt: A New Cardiovascular Target?
abstract: In the last years, a growing interest has emerged toward understanding the role of adipocytokines in the development of cardio-metabolic complications. Five years ago, visfatin/PBEF/Nampt was identified as a novel adipocytokine. In the context of metabolic disorders, extracellular visfatin/PBEF/Nampt was initially claimed as a potentially beneficial molecule due to its insulin-mimetic and glucose-lowering properties. Nevertheless, growing evidence has since then unveiled that visfatin/PBEF/Nampt may rather be a biomarker of inflammation and endothelial damage, and also a direct regulator of the cardiovascular system that modulates cell proliferation and survival, extracellular matrix, vascular reactivity, and inflammation. On one side, the blockade of the deleterious cardiovascular actions of visfatin/PBEF/Nampt is being regarded as a potential approach to prevent and treat, not only cardio-metabolic complications, but also other pathologies implying excessive angiogenesis. Conversely, the administration of visfatin/PBEF/Nampt has shown beneficial effects in different ischemic conditions. Further research is required to evaluate the real value of visfatin/PBEF/Nampt as a pharmacological target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peiró
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Romacho
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Ferrer