The divergent inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of adiponectin upon Kupffer cells

[Truncated] Adiponectin is a highly abundant adipokine with serum levels that are inversely correlated with adiposity; obese individuals are generally found to have low circulatin gadiponectin levels and lean individuals have high circulating adiponectin concentrations. Adiponectin possesses multiple anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, anti-fibrotic and insulin sensitizing properties, and as such, low adiponectin levels have been associated with the metabolic syndrome and insulin-resistant states including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In animal models, adiponectin has been shown to protective against hepatic steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis. In view of these findings, adiponectin may represent a therapeutic modality for the treatment of NAFLD and NASH in humans. Despite these known beneficial effects of adiponectin, recent reports suggest that adiponectin may be adversely associated with several immune mediated diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and renal disease. In addition there have been increasing findings of adiponectin promoting an inflammatory response in in vitro studies of macrophages and monocytes.