[Adiponectin in health and disease]

The Role of Adipokines in Cardiovascular Pathology

The recent decades saw a steady growth of obesity incidence worldwide. Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus and is also associated with a shorter life expectancy. Not only hemodynamic but also hormone metabolic processes, arising from excessive accumulation of adipose tissue in human body, underlie the development of CVDs. Adipose tissue has now been proved to be a hormone-active substrate. Studies of the influence of adipokines will bring us closer to understanding cardiovascular pathogenesis and help personalize prophylactic strategies.

Aortic stiffness and content of adipokines in the serum in persons of European and South Asian ethnic

Aim. To evaluate the cardiovascular risk (CVR) based on arterial stiffness and content of adipokines in young-aged persons of different ethnicity (European and South Asian). Materials and methods. 290 persons of European (Slavic) and South Asian (Korean) ethnicity aged from 19 to 49 years with and without arterial hypertension (AH) were examined. Clinical, anthropometric, laboratory examinations were performed, levels of resistin and adiponectin of blood were assessed. Total CVR was assessed by SCORE scale, patients under the age of 40 years were assessed by relative risk scale. Aortic stiffness was examined by non-invasive arteriography. Results. Patients of European ethnicity had higher blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), levels of resistin and adiponectin. Pulse wave velocity in the aorta (PWVA) did not differ significantly in ethnic groups. According to the SCORE scale in individuals of the European and South Asian races in general groups and groups with arterial hypertension a moderate absolute risk was determined, in individuals under 40 years of age a moderate relative risk was determined without a significant difference between the groups. However increased levels of PWVA (more than 10 m/s) were registered more often in Korean ethnicity (46.9% compared to Slavic ethnicity, 22.2%). Closer reliable correlations between the level of BP and BMI, WC, PWVA were revealed in Korean ethnicity. Ethnic differences in correlation of adipokines in blood and their dependence on anthropometric and hemodynamic characteristics were described. Conclusion. The assessment of CVR according to traditional scales does not always accurately represent its real level. New information was obtained on the features of adipokine metabolism and its connections with early manifestations of vascular remodeling in young-aged depending on the race. Taking into account ethnic differences, we recommend in-depth diagnostics of CVR in South Asians. The data can be useful for the design of personalized programs for the diagnostics and assessment of CVR.

Disordered metabolism in mice lacking irisin

Irisin is a product of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein (Fndc5) and is involved in the regulation of adipokine secretion and the differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. In this study, we aimed to determine whether irisin lacking affects glucose/lipid and bone metabolism. We knocked out the Fndc5 gene to generate irisin-lacking mice. Remarkable, irisin lacking was related to poor 'browning response', with a bigger size of the intraperitoneal white adipose cell and decreased a number of brown adipose cells in brown adipose of interscapular tissue. The irisin lacking mice had hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance, reduced HDL-cholesterol level, increased LDL-cholesterol level, and decreased insulin sensitivity. The lacking of irisin was associated with reduced bone strength and bone mass in mice. The increased number of osteoclasts and higher expression of RANKL indicated increased bone resorption in irisin lacking mice. The level of IL-6 and TNF-α also increased in irisin lacking mice. The results showed that irisin lacking was related to decreased 'browning response', glucose/lipid metabolic derangement, and reduced bone mass with increased bone resorption. Further studies are needed to confirm these initial observations and explore the mechanisms underlying the effects of irisin on glucose/lipid and bone metabolism.