Visfatin is a positive regulator of MCP-1 in human adipocytes in vitro and in mice in vivo.

Visfatin is a proinflammatory and potentially insulin-mimetic adipokine contributing to whole body glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as atherosclerosis. Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 is an adipocyte-secreted protein which might play a crucial role in metabolic and vascular disease. MCP-1 expression and secretion after visfatin treatment were determined by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in fully differentiated human mesenchymal stem cell-derived adipocytes (hMSC-Ads) in vitro. In addition, circulating levels of MCP-1 and visfatin were quantified by ELISA in 60 patients (30 nondiabetic, 30 diabetic) and MCP-1 serum levels in mice were determined after visfatin treatment in vivo. Interestingly, protein secretion and mRNA production of MCP-1 were induced significantly in hMSC-Ads after visfatin stimulation. Visfatin-induced MCP-1 secretion 1.9-fold after 8 h and 2.5-fold after 24 h relative to untreated cells (P < 0.05). MCP-1 mRNA synthesis was significantly stimulated by visfatin with maximal upregulation detectable at 250 ng/ml visfatin and after 4 h of treatment. Signaling studies suggested that p44/42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is involved in visfatin-induced MCP-1 mRNA expression in hMSC-Ads. Detectability of visfatin in serum predicted circulating MCP-1 independent of age and gender in humans in vivo. MCP-1 serum levels were significantly increased more than twofold after visfatin treatment in mice in vivo. Taken together, our results demonstrate that visfatin upregulates MCP-1 supporting a possible role of MCP-1 in mediating the proinflammatory effects of visfatin.