Elsevier

Biochimie

Volume 94, Issue 10, October 2012, Pages 2180-2189
Biochimie

Review
Leptin, adiponectin and pulmonary diseases

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2012.03.006Get rights and content

Abstract

Adipose tissue produces leptin and adiponectin – energy-regulating adipokines that may also play a role in inflammatory pulmonary conditions, as suggested by some murine studies. Leptin and adiponectin and their respective receptors are expressed in the human lung. The association between systemic or airway leptin and asthma in humans is currently controversial, particularly among adults. The majority of the evidence among children however suggests that systemic leptin may be associated with greater asthma prevalence and severity, particularly among prepubertal boys and peripubertal/postpubertal girls. Systemic and airway leptin concentrations may also be disproportionately higher in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, particularly among women, and reflect greater airway inflammation and disease severity. Quite like leptin, the association between systemic and airway adiponectin and asthma in humans is also controversial. Some but not all studies, demonstrate that serum adiponectin concentrations are protective against asthma among premenopausal women and peripubertal girls. On the other hand, serum adiponectin concentrations are inversely associated with asthma severity among boys but positively associated among men. Further, systemic and airway adiponectin concentrations are higher in COPD patients than controls, as demonstrated by case-control studies of men. Systemic adiponectin is also positively associated with lung function in healthy adults but inversely associated with lung function in subjects with COPD. It is therefore possible that pro-inflammatory effects of adiponectin dominate under certain physiologic conditions and anti-inflammatory effects under others. The adipokine-lung disease literature has critical gaps that include a lack of adequately powered longitudinal or weight-intervention studies; inadequate adjustment for confounding effect of obesity; and unclear understanding of potential sex interactions. It is also uncertain whether adipokine derangements precede pulmonary disease or are a consequence of it. Future research will determine whether modulation of adipokines, independent of BMI, may allow novel ways to prevent or treat inflammatory pulmonary conditions.

Highlights

► Systemic leptin may be associated with greater asthma prevalence and severity in children. ► Systemic leptin may be associated with greater COPD prevalence and severity. ► Systemic adiponectin may be protective against odds for asthma among women and girls. ► Systemic adiponectin concentrations are higher in COPD patients than controls. ► Systemic adiponectin is associated with greater COPD severity in men.

Section snippets

COI disclosure

Nour Ali Assad, M.D. states that there is no personal or financial support or involvement with organization(s) with financial interest in the subject matter or any other actual or potential conflict of interest. Nour Ali Assad, M.D. also declares that she has materially participated in the article preparation including review of data, writing and editing of manuscript and creation of figures and has approved the final article.

Akshay Sood, M.D., M.P.H. states that there is no personal or

NIH source of funding

This work was supported from funding by the National Institutes of Health (K23 HL 094531-01 and CTSA 1ULRR031977-01 for AS). The sponsor played no role in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Mark Schuyler, M.D. at University of New Mexico in proof-reading and critiquing the article.

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