Our studies provide new insights into potential mechanisms of adiponectin-mediated alterations in lipid metabolism and macrophage foam cell formation which may impact the development of atherosclerosis.
Adiponectin is inversely associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis, but little is known about the genetic pathways that regulate the plasma level of this protein.
Adiponectin is an insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory fat cell hormone that has immense potential as a therapeutic target for a multitude of obesity-associated diseases, including type 2 diabetes, NASH and atherosclerosis (Chandran M, Phillips SA, Ciaraldi T, Henry RR: Adiponectin: more than just another fat cell hormone?Diabetes Care 2003, 26:2442-2450).
Several studies suggest an important role of adiponectin in the process leading to atherosclerosis, thus indicating the adiponectin gene as a potential candidate for coronary artery disease.
The adipocytokines adiponectin and leptin have been suggested as risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, acting through atherosclerosis.
In this review, we elaborate currently known information about Ad malfunction and deficiency pertaining to cardiovascular disease risk (including atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, and cardiac injury), as well as review evidence supporting Ad resistance as a novel risk factor for cardiovascular injury, providing insight about the future of Ad research and the protein's potential therapeutic benefits.
Adipocytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, leptin, resistin along with peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) are important mediators in glucose homeostasis in association with CD36 and can be used as markers for T2DM and atherosclerosis.
Increased mRNA and protein expression of adiponectin receptors is related with increased aortic stiffness, coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis in patients with CAD.
These novel data support the idea that the adiponectin-AdipoR1/2-APPL1 axis may serve as a potential therapeutic target for preventing macrophage foam cell formation and atherosclerosis.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of adiponectin gene G276T polymorphism with indices of atherosclerosis in obese children.
Hence, polymorphic changes in the adiponectin Q (ADIPOQ) gene are likely to contribute to metabolic disorders, and consequently lead to atherosclerosis.
This study demonstrates the regional variability in the responsiveness of human adipose tissue to systemic inflammation and suggests that BNP (not systemic inflammation) is the main driver of circulating adiponectin in patients with advanced atherosclerosis even in the absence of HF.
Adiponectin is a hormone that is derived from adipose tissue and is reduced in obesity-linked diseases including insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis.
This report provides some evidence for adiponectin protecting against atherosclerosis, with effects being confined to men; however, compared with established cardiovascular risk factors, the effect of plasma adiponectin was modest.