The Role of Adipokines in Inflammatory Mechanisms of Obesity

Abstract

Adipokines are currently widely studied cellular signaling proteins produced by adipose tissue and involved in various processes, including inflammation; energy and appetite modulation; lipid and glucose metabolism; insulin sensitivity; endothelial cell functioning; angiogenesis; the regulation of blood pressure; and hemostasis. The current review attempted to highlight the key functions of adipokines in the inflammatory mechanisms of obesity, its complications, and its associated diseases. An extensive search for materials on the role of adipokines in the pathogenesis of obesity was conducted online using the PubMed and Scopus databases until October 2022.

Keywords: adipokines; cytokines; inflammation; macrophages; obesity.

Figure 1

Pro-inflammatory effects of adipokines. ERK1/2—extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2; IL—interleukins; JAK2/STAT3—Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and transcriptional activator 3; JNK—c-Jun N-terminal kinase; MCP-1—monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; MMP—matrix metalloproteinases; NF-κB—nuclear factor κB; p38 MAPK—p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase; PI3K/Akt—phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B; TNF-α—tumor necrosis factor α.