Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2009 Dec;52(12):1204-1211.

Adipokines, the obesity and metabolic complications in the postmenopausal women

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, Korea. yolew@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

During the menopausal transition there are changes in body fat and its disrtribution, and central adiposity is associated with the metabolic complications such as insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Adipose tissue is increasingly recognized as an endocrine organ with many secretory products and a part of the innate immune system. With obesity, macrophages infiltrate into adipose tissue, and numerous adipokines and cytokines are secreted by both macrophages and adipocytes. The adipokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, ectopic fat accumulation, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It has been shown that adipocytes secrete several proteins including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6 and adipokines such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, retinol binding protein 4, visfatin. Adiponectin improves insulin sensitivity, but leptin, resistin, pro-inflammatory cytokines increase insulin resistance. It is well known that menopause is associated with notable change in levels of the adipokines toward the direction to increase of metabolic complications, but the influence of menopause on adipokine levels is still poorly understood. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship of adipokines and metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease in the postmenopausal women.

Keyword

Postmenopause; Obesity; Adipokines

MeSH Terms

Adipocytes
Adipokines
Adiponectin
Adipose Tissue
Adiposity
Cardiovascular Diseases
Carrier Proteins
Cytokines
Dyslipidemias
Female
Humans
Hypertension
Immune System
Insulin Resistance
Interleukin-6
Leptin
Macrophages
Menopause
Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
Obesity
Postmenopause
Proteins
Resistin
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Vitamin A
Adipokines
Adiponectin
Carrier Proteins
Cytokines
Interleukin-6
Leptin
Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase
Proteins
Resistin
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
Vitamin A
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