Significance of adiponectin in sepsis

Sepsis is often accompanied by metabolic disorders that are characterized mainly by active catabolism, insulin resistance induced by inflammatory mediators, and elevated blood glucose. Increased inflammatory process in severe cases can lead to myocardial injury. Adiponectin as a specific adipocytokine, plays an important role not only in the development of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, but also in inflammation and metabolism in sepsis. In recent years, studies have found that adiponectin expression is significantly reduced in sepsis, and application of adiponectin for treatment of sepsis in mice can reduce mortality, suggesting that adiponectin regulation in sepsis may become a new target for inhibiting inflammatory response, reducing insulin resistance, and managing myocardial injury. Clinical studies also show that decreased serum adiponectin level may be an important factor in the development of sepsis and an important index for prognosis evaluation in sepsis. Key words: Adiponectin; Sepsis; Inflammatory response