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Adiponectin prevents early death from metabolic syndrome

11 Apr 2012


Adiponectin, the most abundant adipokine in human plasma, has insulin-sensitising and antiatherogenic effects. Adiponectin secretion and its circulating levels are inversely proportional to body fat content. Hypoadiponectinemia is closely associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in metabolic syndrome. In an earlier study, Otabe et al. had reported that transgenic expression of adiponectin significantly prolonged the lifespan of normal mice. However, many questions remain concerning the mechanism involved in the lifespan-extending effects of adiponectin.

Otabe et al. therefore conducted the present study to elucidate the mechanism involved in the longevity effects of adiponectin using KK/Ta mice, a murine model of metabolic syndrome. The lifespan of KK/Ta mice was shorter than that of control mice. Adiponectin prevented premature death in these mice without affecting body weight or daily food consumption. The longevity effect of adiponectin was not attributable to the prevention of neoplasms or cardiovascular disease, or to the upregulated Sirt1 expression. The observations in this study suggest that adiponectin may slow the accelerated aging process associated with the metabolic syndrome by inhibiting AKT signaling, thereby attenuating chronic low-grade inflammation. Otabe et al. (2012) Journal of Endocrinology 213 67-76.

Read the full article at: DOI: 10.1530/JOE-11-0329