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A transient increase in insulin resistance (IR) is a component of puberty. We investigated the impact of body composition and adipokines on IR during puberty in Chinese children. This study included 3223 schoolchildren aged 6–18 years. IR was calculated using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). We revealed that body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference increased gradually during puberty in both genders, while fat-mass percentage (FAT%) increased steadily only in girls. Change of leptin showed striking sexual dimorphisms: in girls leptin increased steadily during puberty, whereas in boys, after a transient rise at the beginning of puberty, leptin declined by Tanner staging even in those overweight or obese. Inversely, adiponectin level decreased significantly during puberty. In both genders, HOMA-IR started to increase at the beginning of puberty, peaked in the middle, and revised at late puberty in overweight/obesity boys while it stayed high till the end of puberty in girls and normal weight boys. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that leptin presented a stronger indicator of HOMA-IR than anthropometric measures during puberty. Our results demonstrated that gender-specific FAT% and leptin changed with pubertal development. Leptin emerged as a stronger predictor of IR than traditional anthropometric indices, suggesting a prominent role in the development of pubertal IR.

OBJECTIVE

Osteocalcin (OC), a bone-derived protein, was recently shown to regulate metabolic pathways in mice. Undercarboxylated OC (ucOC), but not carboxylated OC (cOC), increases adiponectin and insulin secretion. It is unclear if carboxylation of OC affects its association with metabolic parameters in humans.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

The associations between ucOC, cOC, total and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, and insulin secretion (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA]-β) were investigated in a population-based sample of healthy prepubertal children (n = 103; 49 boys and 54 girls).

RESULTS

Weight-dependent associations were observed between the different forms of OC and metabolic parameters. Higher cOC was related to lower HMW adiponectin (with a stronger association in leaner children; P < 0.001). Higher ucOC-to-cOC ratio was associated with higher HOMA-β (P < 0.01) in leaner children and associated with higher HMW adiponectin (P < 0.001) in heavier children.

CONCLUSIONS

In a weight-dependent manner, cOC and the proportion of ucOC are differentially related to HMW adiponectin and insulin secretion in healthy children.

Body weight is positively associated with bone mineral density but the relationship between obesity and bone mineral density is unclear. Leptin and adiponectin are potential independent contributors to bone mineral density. We assessed the correlations of body composition, leptin and adiponectin with bone mineral density, and whether leptin, adiponectin and body composition determine bone mineral density independently in prepubertal girls. Forty-eight prepubertal girls were classified into obese and control groups by body mass index. Serum leptin and adiponectin levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Bone mineral density was measured using dual energy radiography absorptiometry and body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Lean and fat mass, and leptin were positively correlated with bone mineral density. Lean mass was a positive independent predictor of femoral and L-spine bone mineral density. Serum leptin was a postivie independent predictor of femoral bone mineral density. Fat mass was a negative independent predictor of femoral bone mineral density. In prepubertal girls, lean mass has a favorable effect on bone mineral density. Fat mass seems not to protect the bone structure against osteoporosis, despite increased mechanical loading. Serum leptin may play a biological role in regulating bone metabolism.

Objective

Adiponectin, an adipokine with antidiabetic properties, forms multimers, and the high molecular weight (HMW) form most closely correlates with insulin sensitivity. Therefore, we hypothesize that HMW adiponectin levels are decreased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition characterized by insulin resistance, compared to normal controls, and that HMW adiponectin correlates with testosterone and insulin sensitivity.

Design and patients

Cross-sectional study involving 13 women with PCOS and 13 age- and BMI-matched normal controls.

Measurements

Waist-to-hip ratios (WHR), glucose, insulin, SHBG, total testosterone, total and HMW adiponectin levels were measured after an overnight fast. Free testosterone was calculated from SHBG and total testosterone, and insulin sensitivity (Si) was determined using a frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. The study’s primary outcomes were differences in total and HMW adiponectin between women with PCOS and normal control women.

Results

Total adiponectin (p<0.01), HMW adiponectin (p<0.01), and the ratio of HMW to total adiponectin (SA) (p=0.03), were lower in women with PCOS compared to normal women. Total and HMW adiponectin levels correlated inversely with WHR (p<0.01) and free testosterone (p<0.01) and positively with Si (p<0.001). Using forward stepwise multivariate analysis, HMW adiponectin and WHR, but not PCOS status, were independent predictors of Si.

Conclusions

Women with PCOS have lower total and HMW adiponectin levels compared with normal women. HMW adiponectin also comprises a smaller proportion of total circulating adiponectin in women with PCOS. Alterations in HMW adiponectin levels in women with PCOS may contribute to the insulin resistance intrinsic to the syndrome.

Objective

Obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia are associated with preeclampsia. Recently, “adipose tissue failure”, characterized by dysregulation of adipokine production, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of these metabolic complications. Adiponectin, an insulin-sensitizing, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic adipokine, circulates in oligomeric complexes including: low-molecular-weight (LMW) trimers, medium-molecular-weight (MMW) hexamers and high-molecular-weight (HMW) isoforms. These multimers exert differential biological effects, and HMW to total adiponectin ratio (SA) has been reported to be a specific marker of adiponectin activity. The aim of this study was to determine whether preeclampsia is associated with changes in circulating adiponectin multimers.

Study design

This cross-sectional study included women with: 1) normal pregnancy (n=225); and 2) patients with mild preeclampsia (n=111). The study population was further stratified by first trimester BMI (normal weight <25 kg/m2 vs. overweight/obese ≥25 kg/m2). Serum adiponectin multimers (total, HMW, MMW and LMW) concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics were used for analysis.

Results

1) The median maternal HMW and LMW adiponectin concentrations were lower in patients with preeclampsia than in those with normal pregnancies (p<0.001 and p=0.01, respectively); 2) patients with preeclampsia had a lower HMW/Total adiponectin ratio (p<0.001) and higher MMW/Total adiponectin and LMW/Total adiponectin ratios than those with a normal pregnancy (p<0.001 and p=0.009, respectively); 3) the presence of preeclampsia was independently associated with lower maternal serum HMW adiponectin concentrations (p=0.001) and with a low HMW/Total adiponectin ratio (p<0.001) after correction for maternal age, maternal BMI, the difference in BMI between the third and the first trimester, and gestational age at sampling; and 4) overweight/obese pregnant women had a lower median total and HMW adiponectin concentration than normal weight pregnant women among women with normal pregnancies, but not among those with preeclampsia.

Conclusion

1) Preeclampsia is associated with a lower median concentration of the HMW adiponectin isoform, the most active form of this adipokine, and a low HMW/Total adiponectin ratio, a specific marker of adiponectin biologic activity; 2) in contrast to normal pregnancy, preeclampsia is not associated with decreased circulating adiponectin multimers in overweight/obese individuals suggesting altered regulation of this adipokine in preeclampsia; 3) collectively, these findings suggest that preeclampsia is characterized by alterations in adiponectin multimers and their relative distribution implying a role for adiponectin multimers in the mechanism of disease in preeclampsia.

Aims/hypothesis

Adiponectin and lipocalin-2 are adipocyte-derived plasma proteins that have been proposed to have opposite effects on insulin sensitivity. Given the epidemiological, physiological and molecular links between sleep, the circadian timing system and glucose metabolism, the aim of this study was to assess effects of the sleep/wake cycle and the fasting/feeding cycle on high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-adiponectin; the biologically active form) and lipocalin-2. We also aimed to compare the 24 h rhythms in the levels of these proteins with those of cortisol, leptin, leptin-binding protein and total adiponectin.

Methods

Lean men underwent a 3 day in-laboratory study, either in the fed state (n=8, age: 20.9±2.1 years, BMI: 22.8±2.3 kg/m2) or fasting state (3 day fast, n=4, 25.3±3.9 years, BMI: 23.3±2.2 kg/m2). The sleep episode was scheduled in darkness from 23:00 to 07:00 hours. Blood was sampled every 15 min for 24 h on the third day of each study.

Results

While fed, HMW-adiponectin and lipocalin-2 had large daily rhythms with troughs at night (HMW-adiponectin: ~04:00 hours, peak-to-trough amplitude 36%, p<0.0001; lipocalin-2: ~04:00 hours, 40%, p<0.0001). On the third day of fasting, the timing and relative amplitudes were unchanged (HMW-adiponectin: ~04:00 hours, 38%, p=0.0014; lipocalin-2: ~05:00 hours, 38%, p=0.0043).

Conclusions/interpretation

These data show that HMW-adiponectin and lipocalin-2 both have significant day/night rhythms, both with troughs at night, that these are not driven by the feeding/fasting cycle, and that it is important to report and/or standardise the time of day for such assays. Further studies are required to determine whether the daily rhythm of HMW-adiponectin levels influences the daily rhythm of insulin sensitivity.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00140205.

In a prior study, we have shown that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α neutralization improves inflammatory markers and total adiponectin in patients with the metabolic syndrome, without improving insulin sensitivity. In this study, we sought to extend our understanding of the effects of TNF-α neutralization in this human model of obesity by investigating the responses of high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, resistin, leptin, and muscle adiposity to etanercept in patients with the metabolic syndrome. Fifty-six men and women with the metabolic syndrome enrolled in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Circulating concentrations of total and HMW adiponectin, resistin, and leptin were determined at baseline and after 4 wk of treatment with etanercept. Muscle adiposity was measured by computed tomography (CT). Although etanercept increased total adiponectin concentration, the HMW form, which is thought to mediate insulin sensitivity, was unchanged. Thus the ratio of HMW to total adiponectin decreased following etanercept treatment compared with placebo (−0.03 ± 0.03 vs. 0.06 ± 0.03, P = 0.02). Resistin tended to decrease in the etanercept-treated group compared with placebo (−0.6 ± 0.7 vs. 1.2 ± 0.7 ng/ml, P = 0.06), whereas leptin was not altered. Etanercept decreased muscle attenuation on CT [−0.61 ± 0.64 Hounsfield units (HU) vs. 1.54 ± 0.77 HU in placebo, P = 0.04], suggesting an increase in muscle adiposity. Together, these results demonstrate that neutralization of TNF-α in obese humans results in differential effects on critical adipokines and body composition indexes. These findings may help to explain the lack of effect on insulin sensitivity and extend our knowledge of the biological effects of TNF-α neutralization in obesity.

Objective. To evaluate leptin and adiponectin as biomarkers of metabolic syndrome (MS) risk factors even in nonobese children/adolescents. Methods. Serum leptin, adiponectin, leptin:adiponectin ratio, lipids, glucose, and insulin concentrations as well as body size parameters and pubertal development were evaluated in a large population of Chinese children/adolescents (n = 3505, 6–18 years, 1722 girls and 1783 boys). Results. Leptin concentration increased while adiponectin decreased with obesity, both were influenced by pubertal development. Central obesity had an additive effect on leptin levels (above obesity alone). Leptin/adiponectin increased 8.4-fold and 3.2-fold in overweight/obesity, and 15.8- and 4.5-fold with obesity plus MS, in early and late puberty, respectively. Even in normal weight children/adolescents, higher leptin and lower adiponectin concentrations associated with increased risk profile. Conversely, overweight/obese with lower leptin or higher adiponectin concentrations had a less compromised metabolic profile. Conclusion. Leptin, adiponectin, and leptin:adiponectin ratio are informative biomarkers for obesity, central obesity, MS, and abnormal metabolic profile even in normal weight children/adolescents.

Adiponectin is a circulating insulin-sensitizing hormone that homo-oligomerizes into trimers, hexamers, and higher molecular weight (HMW) species. Low levels of circulating HMW adiponectin appear to increase the risk for insulin resistance. Currently, assembly of adiponectin oligomers, and consequently mechanisms responsible for decreased HMW adiponectin in insulin resistance, are not well understood. In the work reported here, we analyzed the re-assembly of the most abundant HMW adiponectin species, the octadecamer, following its collapse to smaller oligomers in vitro. Purified bovine serum adiponectin octadecamer was treated with reducing agents at pH 5 to obtain trimers. These reduced trimers partially and spontaneously reassembled into octadecamers upon oxidative formation of disulfide bonds. Disulfide bonds appear to occupy a greater role in the process of oligomerization than in the structural stabilization of mature octadecamer. Stable octadecamers lacking virtually all disulfide bonds could be observed in abundance using native gel electrophoresis, dynamic light scattering, and collision-induced dissociation nano-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. These findings indicate that while disulfide bonds help to maintain the mature octadecameric adiponectin structure, their more important function is to stabilize intermediates during the assembly of octadecamer. Adiponectin oligomerization must proceed through intermediates that are at least partially reduced. Accordingly, fully oxidized adiponectin hexamers failed to reassemble into octadecamers at a rate comparable to that of reduced trimers. As the findings from the present study are based on in vitro experiments, their in vivo relevance remains unclear. Nevertheless, they describe a redox environment-dependent model of adiponectin oligomerization that can be tested using cell-based approaches.

OBJECTIVE

To delineate the associations of total adiponectin, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, and the HMW-to-total adiponectin ratio with diabetes in older adults.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Total and HMW adiponectin were measured in a population-based study of older adults. The relations of total adiponectin, HMW adiponectin, and their ratio with incident diabetes (n = 309) were assessed in 3,802 individuals.

RESULTS

Total and HMW adiponectin were highly correlated (r = 0.94). Analysis using cubic splines revealed that the associations between total and HMW adiponectin and new-onset diabetes were not linear. Specifically, after adjustment for confounders, there were similar inverse relationships for total (hazard ratio per SD 0.49 [95% CI 0.39–0.63]) and HMW adiponectin (0.42 [0.32–0.56]) with diabetes up to values of 20 and 10 mg/L, respectively, above which the associations plateaued. These associations persisted after adjustment for potential mediators (blood pressure, lipids, C-reactive protein, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]). There was, however, evidence of interaction by HOMA-IR in the lower range of adiponectin, with stronger inverse associations among insulin-sensitive than insulin-resistant participants. HMW-to-total adiponectin ratio showed a linear adjusted association with outcome, but this was abolished by inclusion of mediating variables.

CONCLUSIONS

In this older cohort, increasing concentrations of total and HMW adiponectin were associated with comparably lower risks of diabetes, but these associations leveled off with further increases above concentrations of 20 and 10 mg/L, respectively. The more pronounced risk decreases at the lower range among participants without insulin resistance support a role for adiponectin that is independent of baseline hyperinsulinemia, but this will require further investigation.

Background

Little is known regarding the associations between high-molecular-weight (HMW-) adiponectin, leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese. Also few studies elucidate the effects of inflammation and body fat mass on the relations.

Methods

Plasma HMW-adiponectin, leptin and sOB-R were measured among 1055 Chinese men and women (35∼54 yrs). Whole body and trunk fat mass were determined by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. MetS was defined by the updated NCEP/ATPIII criterion for Asian-Americans.

Results

HMW-adiponectin was inversely associated with MetS in multivariate model including fat mass index (FMI), inflammatory markers, leptin and sOB-R (OR in the highest quartile  = 0.30, 95%CI 0.18∼0.50, P<.0001). Plasma sOB-R was also inversely associated with MetS independent of body fatness and inflammatory markers, whereas the association was somewhat attenuated after adjusting HMW-adiponectin (OR for the highest quartile  = 0.78, 95%CI 0.47∼1.32, P = 0.15). In contrast, leptin was associated with increased odds of MetS independent of inflammatory markers, HMW-adiponectin, and sOB-R (OR for the highest quartile  = 2.64, 95%CI 1.35∼5.18, P = 0.006), although further adjustment for FMI abolished this association.

Conclusions

HMW-adiponectin exhibited strong inverse associations with MetS independent of body composition, inflammation, leptin and sOB-R; while the associations of leptin and sOB-R were largely explained by fat mass or HMW-adiponectin, respectively.

Objective

Adiponectin, an adipokine with profound insulin-sensitizing effect, consists of heterogeneous species of multimers. These oligomeric complexes circulate as low-molecular-weight (LMW) trimers, medium-molecular-weight (MMW) hexamers and high-molecular-weight (HMW) isoforms and can exert differential biological effects. The aims of this study were to determine whether there is a change in circulating adiponectin multimers in the presence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), overweight/obesity or with a treatment with sulfonylurea or insulin in patients with GDM.

Study design

This cross-sectional study included women with: 1) normal pregnancy (n=149); and 2) patients with GDM (n=72). Thirty three patients with GDM were managed with diet alone. Among the others 39 diabetic patients, 17 were treated with Glyburide and 22 with insulin. The study population was further stratified by first trimester BMI (normal weight <25 kg/m2 vs. overweight/obese ≥25 kg/m2). Serum adiponectin multimers (total, HMW, MMW and LMW) concentrations were determined by ELISA.

Results

1) The median maternal serum of total, HMW, MMW and LMW were lower in patients with GDM than in those with normal pregnancies (p<0.001 for all comparisons); 2) patients with GDM had a lower HMW/Total adiponectin ratio and a higher MMW/Total and LMW/Total adiponectin ratio than those with a normal pregnancy (p<0.001 for all comparisons); and 3) among GDM patients, there were no differences in the concentrations and relative distribution of adiponectin multimers between those who were managed with diet, and those who were treated with pharmacological agents.

Conclusion

1) GDM is characterized by a distinctive pattern of concentrations and relative distribution of adiponectin multimers akin to Type-2 diabetes mellitus; 2) dysregulation of adiponectin multimeres can provide a mechanistic basis for the association between adiposity and GDM.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine whether retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), adiponectin and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin are associated with insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic parameters in non-diabetic hypertensive patients. Also, we sought to compare the predictive values of these adipocytokines for IR in non-diabetic hypertensive patients.

Materials and Methods

Analyses of RBP4, adiponectin, and HMW adiponectin were performed on 308 non-diabetic hypertensives (148 males, age 58 ± 10 years, 189 non-metabolic syndrome and 119 metabolic syndrome). The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index for IR, lipid profiles, and anthropometric measure-ments were assessed.

Results

There was no significant difference in RBP4 levels according to the presence of metabolic syndrome, although adiponectin and HMW adiponectin were significantly lower in metabolic syndrome. Correlation analysis of log RBP4 with IR and metabolic indices revealed that there was no significant correlation of RBP4 with waist circumference (r = 0.056, p = 0.324), HDL cholesterol (r = 0.005, p = 0.934), ApoB/ApoAI ratio (r = 0.066, p = 0.270), and the HOMA index (r = 0.017, p = 0.756). However, adiponectin and HMW adiponectin showed significant correlations with the HOMA index (r = - 0.247, p < 0.001; r = - 0.296, p < 0.001) and metabolic parameters. With IR defined as HOMA index ≥ 2.5, HMW adiponectin did not demonstrate a superior predictive value for IR compared to adiponectin (AUC = 0.680 vs. 0.648, p = 0.083). The predictive value of RBP4 for IR was minimal (AUC = 0.534).

Conclusion

RBP4 was not associated with IR or metabolic indices and the predictive value for IR was minimal in hypertensives. HMW adiponectin didn't have a superior predictive value for IR compared to adiponectin. Therefore, we can suggest that RBP4 and HMW adiponectin don't have more additive information than adiponectin in non-diabetic hypertensives.

Objective

Adiponectin is an anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic adipokine that circulates in oligomeric complexes including: low-molecular-weight (LMW) trimers, medium-molecular-weight (MMW) hexamers and high-molecular-weight (HMW) isoforms. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are changes in adiponectin multimers in pregnancy and as a function of maternal weight.

Study design

In this cross-sectional study, serum concentrations of total, HMW, MMW and LMW adiponectin were determined in women included in three groups: 1) normal pregnant women of normal body mass index (BMI) (n=466); 2) overweight/obese pregnant women (BMI ≥25; n=257); and 3) non-pregnant women of normal weight (n=40). Blood samples were collected once from each pregnant woman between 11 and 42 weeks of gestation. Serum adiponectin multimers concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics were used for analysis.

Results

1) The median HMW adiponectin concentration and the median HMW/Total adiponectin ratio were significantly higher and the median LMW adiponectin concentration was significantly lower in pregnant than in non-pregnant women; 2) among pregnant women, the median serum concentration of total, HMW and MMW adiponectin was significantly higher in normal weight women than in overweight/obese patients; 3) HMW adiponectin was the most prevalent multimer in maternal serum regardless of gestational age or BMI status; 4) there were no significant differences in the median concentration of total, MMW, LMW adiponectin, and their relative distribution with advancing gestation.

Conclusion

Human pregnancy is characterized by quantitative and qualitative changes in adiponectin multimers, especially of the most active isoform, HMW adiponectin.

Objective

Adiponectin and resistin have been linked to inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and/or insulin secretion or resistance. It remains to be elucidated which of these adipokines is associated primarily with biomarkers of all or only some of these categories i.e. biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and/or insulin secretion or insulinemia.

Design and Methods

We studied 1065 healthy women, Nurses’ Health Study participants, who provided blood samples in 1989–1990. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and resistin with inflammatory markers and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, insulin secretion and insulinemia.

Results

Resistin was positively associated with the inflammatory markers sTNF-αRII and IL-6 but not with any biomarkers of endothelial function, glycemia, insulinemia or markers of insulin secretion after multivariate adjustment for age and BMI. In both crude and multivariate analyses, total adiponectin was inversely associated with insulin, proinsulin, C-peptide, HbA1c, sE-selectin, and CRP levels. HMW adiponectin was inversely associated with circulating insulin, proinsulin, C-peptide, HbA1c, sE-selectin and CRP concentrations, even after adjustment for age, BMI, lifestyle factors, exercise, the use of medications as well as the other biomarkers of interest. Total and HMW adiponectin demonstrated negative associations with sICAM-1 which became nonsignificant after adjustment for confounders, whereas positive associations between sVCAM-1 and total adiponectin became significant only after multivariate adjustment.

Conclusions

Total and HMW adiponectin are inversely associated with markers of insulin secretion/insulinemia, endothelial function, and inflammation. Resistin is positively associated only with markers of inflammation

Higher levels of the adipocyte-specific hormone adiponectin have been linked to increased HDL and lower insulin resistance. This study was conducted to determine the influence of macronutrient intake on adiponectin levels. One hundred and sixty-four pre- and stage-1 hypertensive adults participated in OMNI-Heart, a cross-over feeding study originally testing the effects of macronutrients on blood pressure. Participants underwent three 6-week feeding periods: one rich in carbohydrates (CARB), one rich in monounsaturated fat (MUFA), and one rich in protein (PROT), while maintaining body weight. Their median plasma high molecular weight (HMW) and total adiponectin levels were 2.3 and 8.2 μg/ml, respectively, resulting in an average of 27% HMW adiponectin. Both HMW and total adiponectin levels decreased after baseline while the percent HMW adiponectin remained unchanged. Between diets, the MUFA diet maintained a higher level of both HMW and total adiponectin level than either the CARB (HMW: +6.8%, p=0.02; total: +4.5%, p=0.001) or PROT (HMW: +8.4%, p=0.003; total: +5.6%, p<0.001) diets. Changes in total adiponectin levels were positively correlated to changes in HDL cholesterol irrespective of diets (Spearman r = 0.22–0.40). No correlation was found between changes in lipids, blood pressure, or insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Macronutrient intake has effects on HMW and total adiponectin levels independent of weight loss. A diet rich in monounsaturated fat was associated with higher levels of total and HMW adiponectin in comparison to a carbohydrate- or protein- rich diet. Effects seen in adiponectin paralleled those found with HDL cholesterol.

Background

Adiponectin is an adipocyte-secreted hormone with insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory actions. The assembly of trimeric, hexameric, and higher molecular weight (HMW) species of adiponectin is a topic of significant interest because physiological actions of adiponectin are oligomer-specific. In addition, adiponectin assembly is an example of oxidative oligomerization of multi-subunit protein complexes in endoplasmic reticulum (ER).

Results

We previously reported that trimers assemble into HMW adiponectin via intermediates stabilized by disulfide bonds, and complete oxidation of available cysteines locks adiponectin in hexameric conformation. In this study, we examined the effects of redox environment on the rate of oligomer formation and the distribution of oligomers. Reassembly of adiponectin under oxidizing conditions accelerated disulfide bonding but favored formation of hexamers over the HMW species. Increased ratios of HMW to hexameric adiponectin could be achieved rapidly under oxidizing conditions by promoting disulfide rearrangement.

Conclusions

Based upon these observations, we propose oxidative assembly of multi-subunit adiponectin complexes in a defined and stable redox environment is favored under oxidizing conditions coupled with high rates of disulfide rearrangement.

OBJECTIVE—The objectives of this study were to determine age- and sex-specific concentrations of adiponectin in Asian Indian teenagers and adults and to assess whether its blood levels correlated with insulin resistance and other cardiometabolic parameters.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We studied 196 teenagers (94 boys, 102 girls) 12–18 years of age, selected from a cohort of 2,640 individuals from a cross-sectional school-based survey in Chennai, India. For comparison, adiponectin and plasma insulin were measured in 84 healthy adults. Correlation of adiponectin with plasma levels of insulin, proinsulin, insulin resistance, anthropometry, and family history of diabetes were studied.

RESULTS—Adiponectin showed a sex dimorphism, with girls having higher values (in μg/ml) (10.3 ± 5.0) than boys (8.4 ± 3.5) (P < 0.0001), and it showed a positive correlation with HDL cholesterol in boys only and not with other lipid parameters, insulin resistance, proinsulin, anthropometry, and family history of diabetes. In the adults, adiponectin correlated with fasting glucose and inversely with triglycerides.

CONCLUSIONS—In Asian Indian adults and teenagers, adiponectin did not correlate directly with measures of insulin sensitivity, overweight, and other cardiometabolic variables. This was at variance with several reports in other populations showing an inverse association of adiponectin with insulin resistance, proinsulin, and BMI, suggesting ethnic differences in the relationship of adiponectin with insulin sensitivity. The role of adiponectin in relation to action of insulin needs more detailed studies in Asian Indians.

Objective

Total plasma adiponectin and high molecular weight (HMW) polymeric adiponectin are strongly positively correlated with insulin sensitivity. However we have recently reported paradoxical hyperadiponectinemia in patients with severe insulin resistance due to genetically defective insulin receptors. This implies either that the insulin receptor has a critical physiological role in controlling adiponectin production and/or clearance, or that constitutive insulin receptor dysfunction influences adiponectin levels through developmental effects. The aim of the current study was to distinguish between these possibilities using a human model of reversible antibody-mediated insulin receptor dysfunction, and to refine the previous observations by determining adiponectin complex distribution.

Research Design and Methods

Cross-sectional and longitudinal determination of fasting plasma adiponectin and adiponectin complex distribution in patients with extreme insulin resistance due to insulin receptor mutations, anti-insulin receptor antibodies (type B insulin resistance), or of undefined cause.

Results

Despite extreme insulin resistance, patients with type B insulin resistance (all female; mean age 42 years (range 12-54)) had dramatically elevated total plasma adiponectin compared to the general population (mean 43.0 mg/l (range 31.3-54.2) vs mean 8.9 mg/l (range 1.5-28.5 for B.M.I.<25 kg/m2)), which was accounted for largely by HMW polymers. Hyperadiponectinaemia resolved in parallel with reduction of insulin receptor antibodies and clinical resolution of insulin resistance.

Conclusions

While the well established inverse relationship between plasma insulin and adiponectin levels may, in part, reflect positive effects of adiponectin on insulin sensitivity, these data suggest that the magnitude of the effect of insulin action on adiponectin levels may have been underestimated.

Objective

Reduced circulating adiponectin levels contribute to the etiology of insulin-resistance. Adiponectin circulates in three different isoforms: high (HMW), medium (MMW), and low (LMW) molecular weight. The genetics of adiponectin isoforms is mostly unknown. Our aim was to investigate whether and to which extent circulating adiponectin isoforms are heritable and whether they share common genetic backgrounds with insulin resistance-related traits.

Methods

In a family based sample of 640 non diabetic White Caucasians from Italy, serum adiponectin isoforms concentrations were measured by ELISA. Three SNPs in the ADIPOQ gene previously reported to affect total adiponectin levels (rs17300539, rs1501299 and rs677395) were genotyped. The heritability of adiponectin isoform levels was assessed by variance component analysis. A linear mixed effects model was used to test association between SNPs and adiponectin isoforms. Bivariate analyses were conducted to study genetic correlations between adiponectin isoforms levels and other insulin resistance-related traits.

Results

All isoforms were highly heritable (h2=0.60−0.80, p=1×10−13–1×10−23). SNPs rs17300539, rs1501299 and rs6773957 explained a significant proportion of HMW variance (2–9%, p=1×10−3–1×10−5). In a multiple-SNP model, only rs17300539 and rs1501299 remained associated with HMW adiponectin (p=3×10−4 and 2.0×10−2). Significant genetic correlations (p=1×10−2–1×10−5) were observed between HMW adiponectin and fasting insulin, HOMAIR, HDL-cholesterol and the metabolic syndrome score. Only rs1501299 partly accounted for these genetic correlations.

Conclusion

Circulating levels of adiponectin isoforms are highly heritable. The genetic control of HMW adiponectin is shared in part with insulin resistance-related traits and involves, but is not limited to the ADIPOQ locus.

Obesity results in increased circulating levels of specific adipokines which are associated with colon cancer risk. The disease state is associated with increased leptin, insulin, IGF-1, and IL-6. Conversely, adiponectin levels are decreased in obese individuals. Previously, we demonstrated adipokine-enhanced cell proliferation in preneoplastic, but not normal, colon epithelial cells, demonstrating a differential effect of adipokines on colon cancer progression in vitro. Using a model of late stage carcinoma cancer cell, namely murine MC-38 colon carcinoma cells, we compared the effect of obesity-associated adipokines (leptin, insulin and IGF-1 and IL-6) on MC-38 cell proliferation and determined whether adiponectin (full length or globular) could modulate adipokine-induced cell proliferation. We show that insulin and IL-6, but not leptin and IGF-1, induce proliferation in MC-38 cells. Adiponectin treatment of MC-38 cells did not inhibit insulin-induced cell proliferation but did inhibit IL-6-induced cell proliferation by decreasing STAT-3 phosphorylation and activation. Nitric oxide (NO) production was increased in MC-38 cells treated with IL-6; co-treatment with adiponectin blocked IL-6 induced iNOS and subsequent NO production. These data are compared to previously reported findings from our laboratory using the YAMC (model normal colon epithelial cells) and IMCE (model preneoplastic) cells. The cell lines are utilized to construct a model summarizing the hormonal consequences of obesity and the impact on the differential regulation of colon epithelial cells along the continuum to carcinoma. These data, taken together, highlight mechanisms involved in obesity-associated cancers and may lead to potential targeted therapies.

Increased insulin resistance and inflammatory action are observed in pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), but similar insulin resistance is observed also in successful pregnancy. To estimate insulin resistance and inflammatory activity in normal pregnancy and PIH, serum concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA; corrected with albumin to estimate unbound FFA), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin were measured in severe PIH patients with a BMI less than 25 kg/m2 and were measured 3 times during the course of pregnancy in women with normal pregnancies. FFA/albumin, MCP-1, and HMW adiponectin concentrations were significantly higher in PIH patients than in women with normal pregnancies. The 3 measurements of FFA/albumin showed a significant increase through the course of uncomplicated pregnancies. In contrast, MCP-1 and HMW adiponectin were significantly decreased during the course of pregnancy. These results suggest that the reduced MCP-1 concentration in normal pregnancy may be a pathway to inhibit the induction of pathological features from physiological insulin resistance and homeostatic inflammation.

Background

Latinos in the United States have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes than non-Latino whites, even after controlling for adiposity. Decreased adiponectin is associated with insulin resistance and predicts T2DM, and therefore may mediate this ethnic difference. We compared total and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin in Latino versus white individuals, identified factors associated with adiponectin in each ethnic group, and measured the contribution of adiponectin to ethnic differences in insulin resistance.

Methods

We utilized cross-sectional data from subjects in the Latinos Using Cardio Health Actions to reduce Risk study. Participants were Latino (n = 119) and non-Latino white (n = 60) men and women with hypertension and at least one other risk factor for CVD (age 61 ± 10 yrs, 49% with T2DM), seen at an integrated community health and hospital system in Denver, Colorado. Total and HMW adiponectin was measured by RIA and ELISA respectively. Fasting glucose and insulin were used to calculate the homeostasis model insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR). Variables independently associated with adiponectin levels were identified by linear regression analyses. Adiponectin's contribution to ethnic differences in insulin resistance was assessed in multivariate linear regression models of Latino ethnicity, with logHOMA-IR as a dependent variable, adjusting for possible confounders including age, gender, adiposity, and renal function.

Results

Mean adiponectin levels were lower in Latino than white patients (beta estimates: -4.5 (-6.4, -2.5), p < 0.001 and -1.6 (-2.7, -0.5), p < 0.005 for total and HMW adiponectin), independent of age, gender, BMI/waist circumference, thiazolidinedione use, diabetes status, and renal function. An expected negative association between adiponectin and waist circumference was seen among women and non-Latino white men, but no relationship between these two variables was observed among Latino men. Ethnic differences in logHOMA-IR were no longer observed after controlling for adiponectin levels.

Conclusions

Among patients with CVD risk, total and HMW adiponectin is lower in Latinos, independent of adiposity and other known regulators of adiponectin. Ethnic differences in adiponectin regulation may exist and future research in this area is warranted. Adiponectin levels accounted for the observed variability in insulin resistance, suggesting a contribution of decreased adiponectin to insulin resistance in Latino populations.

Objective

Several mechanisms of disease have been implicated in the pathophysiology of SGA including an anti-angiogenic state, failure of physiologic transformation of spiral arteries, and an exaggerated intravascular pro-inflammatory response. Adiponectin, an insulin-sensitizing, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic adipokine circulates in oligomeric complexes including low-molecular-weight (LMW) trimers, medium-molecular-weight (MMW) hexamers and high-molecular-weight (HMW) isoforms. Adiponectin plays a role in a wide range of biological activities including those that have been implicated in the pathophysiology SGA. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine if third trimester adiponectin concentrations differed between women with normal weight infants and those with an SGA neonate.

Study design

This cross-sectional study included women with: 1) a normal pregnancy (n=234); and 2) an SGA neonate (n=78). The study population was further stratified by first trimester BMI (normal weight <25 kg/m2 vs. overweight/obese ≥25 kg/m2). Maternal serum adiponectin multimers (total, HMW, MMW and LMW) concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics were used for analyses.

Results

1) The median maternal serum concentrations of total, HMW and MMW adiponectin were significantly lower in patients with an SGA neonate than in those with normal pregnancies; 2) patients with an SGA neonate had a significantly lower median HMW/total adiponectin ratio and higher median MMW/total adiponectin and LMW/total adiponectin ratios than those with a normal pregnancy; 3) among patients with an SGA neonate, neither maternal serum concentrations of adiponectin multimers, nor their relative distribution differ between normal weight and overweight/obese patients.

Conclusion

1) Pregnancies complicated by an SGA neonate are characterized by a alterations in the maternal serum adiponectin multimers concentrations and their relative abundance; 2) in contrast to normal pregnancies, those complicated by an SGA neonate are not associated with low circulating adiponectin multimers in overweight/obese individuals suggesting altered regulation of this adipokine in the presence of an SGA neonate; 3) collectively, the findings reported herein suggest that maternal adipose tissue may play a role, in the pathogenesis of SGA.

Aims/hypothesis

The aim of this study was to investigate whether moderate alcohol consumption increases plasma high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and/or muscle oxidative capacity.

Materials and methods

Eleven lean (BMI 18–25 kg/m2) and eight overweight (BMI ≥27 kg/m2) men consumed 100 ml whisky (∼32 g alcohol) or water daily for 4 weeks in a randomised, controlled, crossover trial. After each treatment period, muscle biopsies and fasting blood samples were collected.

Results

Adiponectin concentrations increased (p < 0.001) by 12.5% after 4 weeks of moderate alcohol consumption. Moderate alcohol consumption tended to increase HMW adiponectin by 57% (p = 0.07) and medium molecular weight adiponectin by 12.5% (p = 0.07), but not low molecular weight (LMW) adiponectin. Skeletal muscle citrate synthase, cytochrome c oxidase and β-3-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (β-HAD) activity were not changed after moderate alcohol consumption, but an interaction between alcohol consumption and BMI was observed for cytochrome c oxidase (p = 0.072) and citrate synthase (p = 0.102) activity. Among lean men, moderate alcohol consumption tended to increase cytochrome c oxidase (p = 0.08) and citrate synthase activity (p = 0.12) by 23 and 26%, respectively, but not among overweight men. In particular, plasma HMW adiponectin correlated positively with activities of skeletal muscle citrate synthase (r = 0.64, p = 0.009), cytochrome c oxidase (p = 0.59, p = 0.009) and β-HAD (r = 0.46, p = 0.056), while such correlation was not present for LMW adiponectin. Whole-body insulin sensitivity and intramyocellular triacylglycerol content were not affected by moderate alcohol consumption.

Conclusions/interpretation

Moderate alcohol consumption increases adiponectin concentrations, and in particular HMW adiponectin. Concentrations of HMW adiponectin in particular were positively associated with skeletal muscle oxidative capacity.