Title: Adipokines: Therapeutic Targets for Metabolic Syndrome
Volume: 6
Issue: 4
Author(s): Kunihisa Kobayashi and Toyoshi Inoguchi
Affiliation:
Keywords:
cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, adipose tissues, tumor necrosis factor, plasminogen activator, interleukin, resistin, lipoprotein, leptin, visfatin
Abstract: For a long time it has been known that obesity (adiposity) is linked to insulin resistance. Recently, many investigators have reported that adipocytes secrete a variety of bioactive molecules, termed adipokines (adipocytokines), including TNFα, IL-6, leptin, adiponectin, resistin and so on. These adipokines play pivotal roles in energy homeostasis by affecting insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid metabolisms, food intake, the coagulation system and inflammation. This review provides a summary of these adipose tissue-secreting biomolecules and discusses their feasibilities as drug targets for the treatment of metabolic syndrome.
