Department of Molecular Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8550 Japan.
Nat Rev Immunol. 2011 Feb;11(2):85-97. doi: 10.1038/nri2921. Epub 2011 Jan 21.
The worldwide epidemic of obesity has brought considerable attention to research aimed at understanding the biology of adipocytes (fat cells) and the events occurring in adipose tissue (fat) and in the bodies of obese individuals. Accumulating evidence indicates that obesity causes chronic low-grade inflammation and that this contributes to systemic metabolic dysfunction that is associated with obesity-linked disorders. Adipose tissue functions as a key endocrine organ by releasing multiple bioactive substances, known as adipose-derived secreted factors or adipokines, that have pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory activities. Dysregulated production or secretion of these adipokines owing to adipose tissue dysfunction can contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-linked complications. In this Review, we focus on the role of adipokines in inflammatory responses and discuss their potential as regulators of metabolic function.
全球肥胖症的流行已经引起了人们对研究脂肪细胞（脂肪细胞）生物学以及脂肪组织（脂肪）和肥胖个体体内发生的事件的极大关注。越来越多的证据表明，肥胖会导致慢性低度炎症，而这种炎症会导致与肥胖相关疾病相关的全身代谢功能障碍。脂肪组织作为一种关键的内分泌器官，通过释放多种生物活性物质，即脂肪衍生的分泌因子或脂肪因子，发挥作用，这些物质具有促炎或抗炎活性。由于脂肪组织功能障碍导致这些脂肪因子的产生或分泌失调，可能会导致与肥胖相关的并发症的发病机制。在这篇综述中，我们重点讨论了脂肪因子在炎症反应中的作用，并讨论了它们作为代谢功能调节剂的潜力。
