Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jan;54(1):117-21.
doi: 10.1136/gut.2003.037010.

Adiponectin and its receptors in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

S Kaser  1 , A Moschen, A Cayon, A Kaser, J Crespo, F Pons-Romero, C F Ebenbichler, J R Patsch, H Tilg
Affiliations

Adiponectin and its receptors in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

S Kaser et al. Gut. 2005 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Adiponectin, an adipocyte derived polypeptide, has been shown to alleviate steatosis and inflammation in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aim: In the present study, we wished to define liver expression of adiponectin and its receptors in morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or simple steatosis were investigated to test whether dysregulation of this system might be involved in these disorders.

Patients and methods: Liver mRNA expression of adiponectin and its recently cloned receptors RI and RII (adipoRI and adipoRII) were analysed by fluorescence based real time polymerase chain reaction in 13 patients with NASH and nine with simple steatosis. Adiponectin and adipoRII protein expression were assessed by immunohistochemistry in a subgroup of patients.

Results: Adiponectin and adipoRII mRNA expression were significantly reduced in liver biopsies of patients with NASH compared with simple steatosis while no difference was found in adipoRI mRNA expression. In NASH, adipoRII mRNA expression was negatively correlated with serum aspartate aminotransferase levels, serum alanine aminotransferase levels, and grade of fibrosis. Liver adiponectin protein expression was mainly found in endothelial cells of portal vessels and liver sinusoids whereas adipoRII expression was seen in hepatocytes only. Adiponectin and adipoRII staining were lower in biopsies of subjects with NASH compared with simple steatosis.

Conclusion: Reduced hepatic expression of adiponectin and adipoRII might be of pathophysiological relevance in non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Adiponectin receptor I/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (adipoRI/GAPDH) cDNA ratio, adiponectin receptor II (adipoRII)/GAPDH cDNA ratio, and adiponectin/GAPDH cDNA ratio in liver biopsies of patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and those with simple steatosis (controls). Values are means (SEM); p values <0.05 were considered significant.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemistry for adiponectin and adiponectin receptor II (adipoRII) in human liver specimens. (A, B, C) Expression and distribution of adiponectin in simple steatosis (A 100×; B 200×; C 400×). (D, E) Staining for adiponectin in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (D 100×; E 200×). Expression and distribution of adipoRII is shown in (G) (simple steatosis, 200×) and (H) (NASH, 200×). Negative controls were performed by blocking adiponectin pAb with recombinant human adiponectin (F) and using a rabbit Ig fraction from non-immunised rabbits for adipoRII (I) (both 200×). Representative experiments in liver biopsies from five patients with NASH and five with simple steatosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Berg AH, Combs TP, Scherer PE. ACRP30/adiponectin: an adipokine regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2002;13:84–9. - PubMed
    1. Steppan CM, Lazar MA. Resistin and obesity-associated insulin resistance. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2002;13:18–23. - PubMed
    1. Pellme F , Smith U, Funahashi T, et al. Circulating adiponectin levels are reduced in nonobese but insulin-resistant first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes 2003;52:1182–6. - PubMed
    1. Tschritter O , Fritsche A, Thamer C, et al. Plasma adiponectin concentrations predict insulin sensitivity of both glucose and lipid metabolism. Diabetes 2003;52:239–43. - PubMed
    1. Fruebis J , Tsao TS, Javorschi S, et al. Proteolytic cleavage product of 30-kDa adipocyte complement-related protein increases fatty acid oxidation in muscle and causes weight loss in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001;98:2005–10. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms