Adiponectin

Metabolic / Insulin Sensitivity

Also known as: AdipoQ, Acrp30, GBP28, ADIPOQ

AdipokinesResearch phase: Endogenous hormone (well characterized biomarker)Regulatory: Endogenous peptide. Used as a metabolic biomarker. AdipoR agonists (AdipoRon) are in preclinical research. No approved adiponectin-based therapeutics.

Mechanism

Adiponectin is paradoxically the only fat hormone that decreases as you gain weight. Produced by fat cells, it makes your body more sensitive to insulin, reduces inflammation, and protects blood vessels. Low adiponectin levels are strongly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. It is considered one of the most important protective metabolic hormones.

Technical detail

Adiponectin is a 244-amino-acid (~30 kDa monomer) adipokine that circulates at high levels (5-30 ug/mL) in trimeric, hexameric, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) multimeric forms. It signals through AdipoR1 (skeletal muscle, activates AMPK) and AdipoR2 (liver, activates PPARalpha). AMPK activation increases glucose uptake (GLUT4 translocation), fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial biogenesis. PPARalpha activation enhances hepatic fatty acid oxidation and reduces gluconeogenesis. Anti-inflammatory effects include NF-kB suppression, macrophage phenotype switching (M1 to M2), and reduced TNF-alpha/IL-6. HMW form is the most metabolically active and the best biomarker for metabolic syndrome risk.

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