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Review
. 2019 Feb 15;20(4):839.
doi: 10.3390/ijms20040839.

Adiponectin as Link Factor between Adipose Tissue and Cancer

Erika Di Zazzo  1   2 , Rita Polito  3   4 , Silvia Bartollino  5 , Ersilia Nigro  6   7 , Carola Porcile  8 , Andrea Bianco  9 , Aurora Daniele  10   11 , Bruno Moncharmont  12
Affiliations
Review

Adiponectin as Link Factor between Adipose Tissue and Cancer

Erika Di Zazzo et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Adipose tissue is a key regulator of energy balance playing an active role in lipid storage as well as in synthesizing several hormones directly involved in the pathogenesis of obesity. Obesity represents a peculiar risk factor for a growing list of cancers and is frequently associated to poor clinical outcome. The mechanism linking obesity and cancer is not completely understood, but, amongst the major players, there are both chronic low-grade inflammation and deregulation of adipokines secretion. In obesity, the adipose tissue is pervaded by an abnormal number of immune cells that create an inflammatory environment supporting tumor cell proliferation and invasion. Adiponectin (APN), the most abundant adipokine, shows anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties. Circulating levels of APN are drastically decreased in obesity, suggesting that APN may represent the link factor between obesity and cancer risk. The present review describes the recent advances on the involvement of APN and its receptors in the etiology of different types of cancer.

Keywords: Adiponectin; Adiponectin receptors; cancer; inflammation; inflammatory response; nutritional status; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the molecular mechanisms affected by APN in cancers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of the biological functions exerted by APN in lung, colon, breast and thyroid cancers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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