The adipokines, or adipocytokines (Greek ', fat; ', cell; and ', movement) are

cytokine Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...

s (

cell signaling In biology, cell signaling (cell signalling in British English) is the Biological process, process by which a Cell (biology), cell interacts with itself, other cells, and the environment. Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all Cell (biol ...

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

s) secreted by

adipose tissue Adipose tissue (also known as body fat or simply fat) is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. It also contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, Blood vessel, vascular endothel ...

. Some contribute to an obesity-related low-grade state of inflammation or to the development of

metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of at least three of the following five medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Metabolic syndro ...

, a constellation of diseases including, but not limited to,

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina, heart attack), heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, rheumati ...

and

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by eleva ...

. The first adipokine to be discovered was

leptin Leptin (from Ancient Greek, Greek λεπτός ''leptos'', "thin" or "light" or "small"), also known as obese protein, is a protein hormone predominantly made by adipocytes (cells of adipose tissue). Its primary role is likely to regulate long ...

in 1994. Since that time, hundreds of adipokines have been discovered. Members include: *

Leptin Leptin (from Ancient Greek, Greek λεπτός ''leptos'', "thin" or "light" or "small"), also known as obese protein, is a protein hormone predominantly made by adipocytes (cells of adipose tissue). Its primary role is likely to regulate long ...

* Adiponectin * Apelin * chemerin * interleukin-6 (IL-6) * monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) *

plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) also known as endothelial plasminogen activator inhibitor (serpin E1) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SERPINE1'' gene. Elevated PAI-1 is a risk factor for thrombosis and atherosclerosis. ...

(PAI-1) *

retinol binding protein 4 Retinol binding protein 4, also known as RBP4, is a transporter protein for retinol (vitamin A alcohol). RBP4 has a molecular weight of approximately 21 kDa and is encoded by the ''RBP4'' gene in humans. It is mainly, though not exclusively, synt ...

(RBP4) *

tumor necrosis factor Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), formerly known as TNF-α, is a chemical messenger produced by the immune system that induces inflammation. TNF is produced primarily by activated macrophages, and induces inflammation by binding to its receptors o ...

* visfatin * omentin * vaspin (SERPINA12) * progranulin * CTRP-4

Interleukin 8 Interleukin 8 (IL-8 or chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8, CXCL8) is a chemokine produced by macrophages and other cell types such as epithelial cells, airway smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. Endothelial cells store IL-8 in their stor ...

(IL-8),

interleukin 10 Interleukin 10 (IL-10), also known as human cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor (CSIF), is an anti- inflammatory cytokine. In humans, interleukin 10 is encoded by the ''IL10'' gene. IL-10 signals through a receptor complex consisting of two IL- ...

(IL-10),

interferon gamma Interferon gamma (IFNG or IFN-γ) is a dimerized soluble cytokine that is the only member of the type II class of interferons. The existence of this interferon, which early in its history was known as immune interferon, was described by E. F. ...

(IFN-γ) and inducible protein 10 (IP-10 or CXCL10) have been shown to be associated with excessive body weight.

Notes

External links

* {{Intercellular signaling peptides and proteins Cytokines

See also

Notes

External links