title: Adiponectin: A biomarker for chronic hepatitis C?
abstract: Adiponectin, a hormone primarily synthesized and secreted by adipose tissue, plays a pivotal role in lipid metabolism. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection is characterized by disordered lipid metabolism, which may potentially evolve into steatosis over a period of time. A growing body of evidence appears to link decreased adiponectin plasma levels with severe CHC-related steatosis, which suggests a potential role of this adipokine as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for clinical application. In this review, we have attempted to summarize the current status of adiponectin research in the context of CHC, concentrating predominantly on its roles in CHC, and its potential relevance as a biomarker for CHC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Shengyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address: xyeyygbzk@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Adiponectin; Biomarker; Chronic hepatitis C