Plasma Adiponectin Concentrations In Patients Research Articles

Blockade of Sympathetic Nervous System Activity by Rilmenidine Increases Plasma Adiponectin Concentration in Patients With Essential Hypertension

Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-specific protein with antiatherogenic and insulin-sensitizing properties. In patients with essential hypertension plasma adiponectin levels are lower than in healthy subjects. It is hypothetized that low plasma adiponectin concentration may be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular complications in hypertension. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of 6 months of antihypertensive therapy with rilmenidine on plasma adiponectin concentration in patients with essential hypertension. In 20 patients with essential hypertension (mean age 39 +/- 14 years; 11 F, 9 M; mean duration of hypertension 8 +/- 9 years) plasma adiponectin concentration (ELISA; B-Bridge International, San Jose, CA), insulin sensitivity (metabolic clearance of glucose-M value and M/plasma insulin ratio) by the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp technique, and body fat content (DEXA) were estimated twice, before and after 6 months of antihypertensive monotherapy with rilmenidine (daily dose 1 to 2 mg). The 6 months of treatment with rilmenidine resulted in a significant decrease of systolic (P = .007), diastolic (P = .002), and mean arterial blood pressure (P = .002), no significant change of body mass index (27.7 +/- 4.7 and 27.6 +/- 4.4 kg/m(2)), total body fat content (25.4 +/- 7.3 and 24.9 +/- 6.8 kg), and insulin sensitivity parameters (M value 6.0 +/- 2.5 and 5.8 +/- 4.3 mg/kg/min and M/plasma insulin ratio 7.4 +/- 5.0 and 6.9 +/- 4.3 mg/kg/min/mU/L). However after 6 months of treatment with rilmenidine a significant increase in plasma adiponectin concentration (from 12.5 +/- 6.1 to 16.9 +/- 11.1; P = .0002) was observed. Antihypertensive therapy with rilmenidine correlates with an increase of plasma adiponectin concentration without any significant changes of insulin sensitivity and body fat content in patients with essential hypertension.

Adiponectin. Spectator or Player?

Adiponectin. Spectator or Player?

Elevated plasma adiponectin concentrations in patients with liver cirrhosis correlate with plasma insulin levels

Adiponectin is a hormone secreted by adipocytes and has anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic properties. Hypoadiponectinemia is associated with insulin-resistant diabetes and liver dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine plasma adiponectin and insulin levels in patients with liver cirrhosis. Adiponectin and insulin levels were determined in 38 patients with cirrhosis and 30 healthy controls, and were correlated with various clinical and biochemical parameters. Patients included 21 with Child A, eight Child B, and nine with Child C liver cirrhosis. Log adiponectin and insulin levels were significantly elevated in patients with cirrhosis compared with the control. In liver cirrhosis, the level of adiponectin increased proportionately with the Child's classification score. In control subjects, plasma adiponectin correlated inversely with insulin levels. In contrast, plasma adiponectin correlated positively with insulin levels in patients with liver cirrhosis. Plasma adiponectin levels did not correlate with age, sex, body mass index, total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, and fasting blood sugar levels in both groups, while alanine aminotransferase correlated negatively with adiponectin in control subjects as reported previously. Our results of high plasma adiponectin in patients with liver cirrhosis could reflect an imbalance between its production by adipocytes and metabolism in the liver.

Plasma Adiponectin Concentrations in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure: Relationship with Metabolic Risk Factors and Ischemic Heart Disease

To compare plasma adiponectin levels between healthy controls and patients with chronic renal failure and to examine for a relationship between plasma adiponectin levels and ischemic heart disease as well as aortic distensibility which is an early marker of atherosclerosis. We included 89 patients with CRF (45 on and 44 not on hemodialysis) and 70 controls in a cross-sectional study. Plasma adiponectin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Aortic distensibility was assessed by high-resolution ultrasonography. Plasma adiponectin levels were significantly almost twice as high in patients with renal failure compared to controls (9.7 +/- 1.1 vs. 5.4 +/- 0.6 microg/ml, p < 0.0001). No significant differences were found between renal patients on hemodialysis and not on hemodialysis (p = 0.71). Multivariate linear regression analysis in the renal patient group demonstrated a significant negative relationship between plasma adiponectin levels and ischemic heart disease (p = 0.02). The same analysis in the control subjects group showed a significant, negative relationship between plasma adiponectin levels and body mass index (p = 0.02) and a highly significant positive relationship with the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.0001). In the total study population, glomerular filtration rate was the only independent predictor of plasma adiponectin concentrations. Aortic distensibility was lower in renal patients than in controls at a high level of significance (p < 0.0001). However, no significant relationship could be found between plasma adiponectin and aortic distensibility in either the controls or the renal patients. Plasma adiponectin levels are almost twice as high in patients with chronic renal failure in comparison with healthy controls, but not different between renal patients on and those not on hemodialysis. In addition, low plasma adiponectin levels are strongly associated with ischemic heart disease, but not with aortic distensibility in chronic renal failure.

Adiponectin may play a part in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.

To measure plasma adiponectin concentrations in patients with type 2 diabetes and to investigate any association with the severity of diabetic retinopathy, because adiponectin seems to be an important modulator for metabolic and vascular diseases. Seventy-four patients (mean age 46.8+/-5.1 years; body mass index (BMI), 26.8+/-2.10 kg/m(2)) and 54 healthy volunteers (mean age 46.8+/-5.4 years; BMI 26.47+/-2.33 kg/m(2)) were included. Adiponectin concentrations in the patients were significantly lower than those in controls (4.71+/-2.11 microg/ml for patients, n=74; 15.95+/-3.72 microg/ml for controls, n=54; P<0.001). In the patients group there was a significant negative correlation between adiponectin and homeostasis model assessment index (r=-0.318, P=0.006 respectively). Plasma adiponectin concentrations in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (n=20; 3.16+/-1.83 microg/ml) or non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (n=24; 3.97+/-1.47 microg/ml, P=0.014) were significantly lower than those in patients without diabetic retinopathy (n=30; 6.30+/-1.57 microg/ml, P=0.001). When the presence of diabetes was defined as the final variable in the conditional logistic regression model with the adiponectin concentration as the continuous variable, adiponectin was significantly involved in the model. The results show that adiponectin concentrations are lower in patients with type 2 diabetes and that the concentrations are associated with the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Our findings suggest that adiponectin may take part in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.

Decreased plasma adiponectin concentration in patients with essential hypertension

Adipocytes secrete several biologically active substances that are presumed to be involved in obesity-related hypertension. There are no reports that deal with the relationship between plasma adiponectin concentration and blood pressure (BP).To evaluate the role of adiponectin in essential hypertension 33 patients with essential hypertensive (EHP) (12 women, 21 men) and 33 body mass index-matched normotensive healthy subjects (NHS) (13 women, 20 men) were studied.In EHP plasma adiponectin concentration was significantly lower than in NHS (9.1 ± 4.5 v 13.7 ± 5.2 μg/mL, respectively). In all subjects a significant negative correlation was found between plasma adiponectin concentration and mean, systolic, and diastolic BP, suggesting that adiponectin contributes to the clinical course of essential hypertension.