Weight reduction increases plasma levels of an adipose-derived anti-inflammatory protein, adiponectin

Adiponectin, an adipose tissue-specific plasma protein, was recently reveal ed to have anti-inflammatory effects on the cellular components of vascular wall. Its plasma levels were significantly lower in men than in women and lower in human subjects with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or coronary artery disease. Therefore, it may provide a biological link between obesit y and obesity-related disorders such as atherosclerosis, against which it m ay confer protection. In this study, we observed the changes of plasma adip onectin levels with body weight reduction among 22 obese patients who recei ved gastric partition surgery. A 46% increase of mean plasma adiponectin le vel was accompanied by a 21% reduction in mean body mass index. The change in plasma adiponectin levels was significantly correlated with the changes in body mass index (r = -0.5, P = 0.01), waist (r = -0.4,P = 0.04) and hip (r = -0.6, P = 0.0007) circumferences, and steady state plasma glucose leve ls (r = -0.5, P = 0.04). In multivariate linear regression models, the incr ease in adiponectin as a dependent variable was significantly related to th e decrease in hip circumference (beta = -0.16, P = 0.028), after adjusting body mass index and waist circumference. The change in steady state plasma glucose levels as a dependent variable was related to the increase of adipo nectin with a marginal significance (P = -0.92, P = 0.053), after adjusting body mass index and waist and hip circumferences. In conclusion, body weig ht reduction increased the plasma levels of a protective adipocytokine, adi ponectin. In addition, the increase in plasma adiponectin despite the reduc tion of the only tissue of its own synthesis suggests that the expression o f adiponectin is under feedback inhibition in obesity.