title: Adiponectin in chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: White adipose tissue has been increasingly recognized as an important endocrine organ that secretes a number of biologically active adipokines. Adiponectin, one of the major adipokines, possesses anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing properties, and its serum levels typically decline with increasing body weight. Hypoadiponectinemia has been implicated in the development of obesity-related morbidities such as dyslipidemia and cerebrovascular disease. In addition, hypoadiponectinemia has been reported to enhance hepatic steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and hepatocarcinogenesis in animal models or clinical liver diseases. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has some features which allow it to be recognized not only as a viral disease but also as a metabolic liver disease that encompasses insulin resistance, inflammation, steatosis and fibrosis. CHC is another disease in which adipokines may represent a link between viral infection and steatosis, or metabolic disturbance. In this report, data indicating a possible role of adiponectin in CHC are summarized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Toshiba General Hospital, 6-3-22 Higashi-ooi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-8522, Japan. toru.arano@toshiba.co.jp.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arano
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koike
keywords: Adiponectin; Chronic hepatitis C; Hepatocellular carcinoma