Emerging role of adipokines as mediators in atherosclerosis

Figure 1 Increased adiposity (obesity) is associated with dysregulated adipokine production, which is characterized by decrease in anti-inflammatory/atheroprotective adipokines (adiponectin) and increase in proinflammatory/atherogenic adipokines [resistin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, etc. ]. Those adipokines participate in the regulation of endothelial function, vascular inflammation and plaque formation, which contribute to the inception and progression of atherosclerosis.