Adiponectin: Structure, Physiological Functions, Role in Diseases, and Effects of Nutrition

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2021 Apr 30

PMID 33918360

Citations 100

Authors

Kayvan Khoramipour

Karim Chamari

Amirhosein Ahmadi Hekmatikar

Amirhosein Ziyaiyan

Shima Taherkhani

Nihal M Elguindy

Nicola Luigi Bragazzi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Adiponectin (a protein consisting of 244 amino acids and characterized by a molecular weight of 28 kDa) is a cytokine that is secreted from adipose tissues (adipokine). Available evidence suggests that adiponectin is involved in a variety of physiological functions, molecular and cellular events, including lipid metabolism, energy regulation, immune response and inflammation, and insulin sensitivity. It has a protective effect on neurons and neural stem cells. Adiponectin levels have been reported to be negatively correlated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and shown to be affected (i.e., significantly increased) by proper healthy nutrition. The present review comprehensively overviews the role of adiponectin in a range of diseases, showing that it can be used as a biomarker for diagnosing these disorders as well as a target for monitoring the effectiveness of preventive and treatment interventions.

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