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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

With the growing prevalence of obesity, scientific interest in the biology of adipose tissue has been extended to the secretory products of adipocytes, since they are increasingly shown to affect several aspects in the pathogenesis of obesity-related diseases. The cloning of the ob gene is consistent with this concept and suggests that body fat content in adult rodents is regulated by a negative feedback loop centred in the hypothalamus. In recent years, a number of additional signalling molecules secreted by adipose tissue have been discovered, commonly referred to as 'adipocytokines'. Among these, adiponectin is perhaps the most interesting and promising compound for the clinician since it has profound protective actions in the pathogenesis of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Adiponectin is low in obese subjects and, in particular, insulin-resistant patients. In contrast, resistin seems to be of greater relevance in relation to the immune stress response than in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. However, inflammatory processes have recently been connected with the development of atherosclerosis. Finally, little is known regarding the clinical relevance of visfatin. Recent research has revealed many functions of adipocytokines extending far beyond metabolism, such as immunity, cancer and bone formation. This report aims to review some of the recent topics of adipocytokine research that may be of particular importance.
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PMID:Adipocytokines: leptin--the classical, resistin--the controversical, adiponectin--the promising, and more to come. 1631 Dec 15

Adipocytes have recently been shown to secrete a variety of bioactive substances called 'adipocytokines', and have been recognized as endocrine cells. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alphaalpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and heparin-binding epidermal-growth-factor-like growth factor (HBEGF) are among these adipocytokines, and they contribute to the development of vascular diseases. Visfatin is a visceral fat-specific protein that may be related to the development of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, adiponectin, an adipose-tissue-specific collagen-like protein, has recently been reported as an important anti-atherogenic and anti-diabetic protein. Adipocytokine secretion may be regulated dynamically by the nutritional state. Visceral fat accumulation leads to dysfunction of adipocytes (including hypersecretion of TNF-alphaalpha, PAI-1 and HBEGF, and hyposecretion of adiponectin), which results in the development of a variety of metabolic and circulatory diseases. In this review, the importance of adipocytokines, including adiponectin, is discussed with respect to cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:White adipose tissue and cardiovascular disease. 1631 Dec 22

Abdominal fat accumulation has been shown to play crucial roles in the development of metabolic syndrome. Visceral fat accumulation particularly is closely correlated to the development of cardiovascular disease and obesity-related disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Given these clinical findings, the functions of adipocytes have been intensively investigated in the past 10 years, and have been revealed to act as endocrine cells that secrete various bioactive substances termed adipocytokines. Among adipocytokines, tumor-necrosis factor-alpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor are produced in adipocytes as well as other organs, and contribute to the development of vascular diseases. Visfatin has been identified as a visceral-fat-specific protein that might be involved in the development of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. In contrast to these adipocytokines, adiponectin, which is an adipose-tissue-specific, collagen-like protein, has been noted as an important antiatherogenic and antidiabetic protein, or as an anti-inflammatory protein. The functions of adipocytokine secretion might be regulated dynamically by nutritional state. Visceral fat accumulation causes dysregulation of adipocyte functions, including oversecretion of tumor-necrosis factor-alpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor, and hyposecretion of adiponectin, which results in the development of a variety of metabolic and circulatory diseases. In this review, the importance of adipocytokines, particularly adiponectin, is discussed with respect to cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:Therapy Insight: adipocytokines in metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular disease. 1639 16

Body weight is regulated by a feedback loop in which peripheral signals report nutritional information to an integratory center in the brain. The cloning of the ob gene is consistent with this concept and suggests that body fat content in adult rodents is regulated by a negative feedback loop centered in the hypothalamus. In recent years a number of additional signaling molecules secreted by adipose tissue have been discovered. These hormones, named adipocytokines, include resistin, adiponectin, and visfatin. Among the adipocytokines, adiponectin is perhaps the most interesting compound for the clinician since low adiponectin serum levels have been found in obese subjects and in particular in insulin resistant subjects. The definition and diagnosis of obesity in children and adolescents are surprisingly difficult. The level of fatness at which morbidity increases is determined on an acturial basis. In children and adolescents the degree of body fat mass depends upon ethnic background , gender, developmental stage, and age. Treatment and prevention of obesity in childhood and adolescence are major challenges for today's health care providers and societies.
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PMID:Obesity in childhood and adolescence: a review in the interface between adipocyte physiology and clinical challenges. 1661 17

Visceral fat accumulation has been shown to play crucial roles in the development of cardiovascular disease as well as the development of obesity-related disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hypertension and the so-called metabolic syndrome. Given these clinical findings, adipocytes functions have been intensively investigated in the past 10 years, and have been revealed to act as endocrine cells that have been termed adipocytokines, which secrete various bioactive substances. Among adipocytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor are produced in adipocytes as well as other organs, and may contribute to the development of vascular diseases. Visfatin has been identified as a visceral-fat-specific protein that might be involved in the development of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. On the contrary to these adipocytokines, adiponectin, an adipose-tissue-specific, collagen-like protein, has been noted as an important antiatherogenic and antidiabetic protein, or as an anti-inflammatory protein. The functions of adipocytokine secretion might be regulated dynamically by nutritional state. Visceral fat accumulation causes dysregulation of adipocyte functions, including oversecretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth and hyposecretion of adiponectin, which results in the development of a variety of metabolic and circulatory diseases. In this review, the importance of adipocytokines, especially focusing on adiponectin is discussed with respect to cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:The metabolic syndrome and adipocytokines. 1667 47

Recent studies suggest that adipose tissue hormones ("adipokines") are involved in the pathogenesis of various complications of obesity, including hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. Apelin and visfatin are two recently described adipokines, although they are also synthesized outside adipose tissue. Apelin exists in at least three forms, consisting of 13, 17, or 36 amino acids, all originating from a common 77-amino-acid precursor. In the cardiovascular system, apelin elicits endothelium-dependent, nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation and reduces arterial blood pressure. In addition, apelin demonstrates potent and long-lasting positive inotropic activity which is preserved even in injured myocardium and is not accompanied by myocardial hypertrophy. Apelin synthesis in adipocytes is stimulated by insulin, and plasma apelin level markedly increases in obesity associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. In addition to regulating cardiovascular function, apelin inhibits water intake and vasopressin production. Visfatin, previously recognized as a pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF), is abundantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue and is upregulated in some, but not all, animal models of obesity. Preliminary studies suggest that plasma visfatin concentration is also increased in humans with abdominal obesity and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Visfatin binds to the insulin receptor at a site distinct from insulin and exerts hypoglycemic effect by reducing glucose release from hepatocytes and stimulating glucose utilization in peripheral tissues. Thus, apelin and visfatin are unique among adipose tissue hormones in that they are upregulated in the obese state and both exert primarily beneficial effects.
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PMID:Apelin and visfatin: unique "beneficial" adipokines upregulated in obesity? 1694 Sep 39

Visfatin is a newly discovered visceral fat-specific adipocytokine. It is upregulated in obesity and exerts insulin-mimetic effects in various tissues in human and mouse. We reported here the cloning and characterization of porcine visfatin, its three alternate splicing variants. Sequence analysis indicated that variant 1 is the predominant form among species, which contains an open reading frame of 1473 bp encoding a 52-kDa protein of 491 amino acids. While the other two variants were predicted to encode two 3' truncated proteins due to early termination. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences deduced from variant 1 were conservative across species. The porcine visfatin gene was composed of 11 exons at least and had exactly the same exon/intron structure as the human orthologs. Nested PCR showed that variants 1 and 3 were ubiquitously expressed in porcine tissues and that variant 2 was expressed in most tissues examined with exception of testis and liver. The discovery of the three variants of visfatin in porcine would be useful to the further investigation of the function of the visfatin gene.
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PMID:Gene organization, alternate splicing and expression pattern of porcine visfatin gene. 1685 38

Visfatin, a new adipokine, facilitates adipogenesis and has insulin-mimetic properties. We aimed to investigate the plasma visfatin levels in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), who had no obesity or hypertension. Twenty-two patients with T2DM, 18 subjects with IGT and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. Visfatin levels were measured along with the BMI, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin, adiponectin and hsCRP levels, and HOMA-IR indexes. Age, sex and BMI were similar in all groups. Visfatin levels were higher in the diabetic group than the controls (p=0.01). There was no significant difference in the visfatin levels between the T2DM and IGT groups as well as IGT group and healthy controls. Plasma visfatin concentrations did not differ between men and women. Visfatin levels did not correlate with BMI, blood pressure, plasma adiponectin, insulin, hsCRP, glucose and lipid levels or HOMA-IR indexes in the three groups. These results indicate that hyperglycemia causes an increase in plasma visfatin levels and, as in people with T2DM but not with IGT, this increase gets more prominent as the glucose intolerance worsens.
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PMID:Plasma visfatin levels in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. 1695 91

Obesity is associated with metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance. Visfatin is an adipose-derived secretory factor to exert insulin-mimetic effects. Plasma visfatin levels and mRNA levels of visfatin in adipose tissues are increased in obesity. However, the mechanism that mediates induction of visfatin mRNA in adipose tissue of obesity remains unknown. Recent studies have reported that fat tissue is hypoxia in obesity. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on mRNA expression of visfatin in adipocytes. Hypoxia increased visfatin mRNA expression. Desferoxamine and Cobaltous chloride, two hypoxia mimetic compounds, also increased visfatin mRNA levels. Dimethyloxallyl glycine, a stabilizer of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha), mimicked the hypoxia-mediated upregulation of visfatin, and YC1, an inhibitor of HIF1 cancelled the hypoxia-induced upregulation of visfatin mRNA. We identified two functional hypoxia responsive elements (HRE) in mouse visfatin promoter. Hypoxic treatment and overexpression of HIF1alpha increased the promoter activity, and mutation of the HRE blunted hypoxia-induced activation of visfatin promoter. Our results suggest that visfatin mRNA expression is upregulated in the fat tissue of obesity through the activation of HIF1alpha pathway due to hypoxia.
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PMID:Visfatin in adipocytes is upregulated by hypoxia through HIF1alpha-dependent mechanism. 1697 Sep 12

There has been much effort recently to define the role of adipocytokines, which are soluble mediators derived mainly from adipocytes (fat cells), in the interaction between adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity. The adipocytokines adiponectin and leptin have emerged as the most abundant adipocyte products, thereby redefining adipose tissue as a key component not only of the endocrine system, but also of the immune system. Indeed, as we discuss here, several adipocytokines have a central role in the regulation of insulin resistance, as well as many aspects of inflammation and immunity. Other adipocytokines, such as visfatin, have only recently been identified. Understanding this rapidly growing family of mainly adipocyte-derived mediators might be of importance in the development of new therapies for obesity-associated diseases.
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PMID:Adipocytokines: mediators linking adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity. 1699 10


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