Adiponectin as an Anti-fibrotic and Anti-inflammatory Adipokine in the Liver = Adiponectin as an Anti-fibrotic and Anti-inflammatory Adipokine in the Liver

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Hepatic fibrosis is a dynamic process resulting from excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in the liver; uncontrolled progression of fibrosis can eventually lead to liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. The fibrogenic process is complex and modulated by a number of both hepatic and extra-hepatic biological factors. Growing evidence indicates that adipokines, a group of cytokines produced by adipose tissue, impart dynamic fibrosis. In particular, two key adipokines, adiponectin and leptin, directly regulate many biological responses closely associated with development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Leptin acts as a pro-fibrogenic cytokine, while adiponectin possesses anti-fibrogenic and anti-inflamma-tory properties. Adiponectin, acting via its cognate recep-tors, adiponectin receptors 1 and 2, potently suppresses fibrosis and inflammation in liver via multiple mechanism. This review summarize recent findings concerning the role of adiponectin in fibrogenic process in liver and addresses the underlying molecular mechanisms in modu-lation of fibrosis.