Adiponectin as a tissue regenerating hormone: more than a metabolic function

The great interest that scientists have for adiponectin is primarily due to its central metabolic role. Indeed, the major function of this adipokine is the control of glucose homeostasis that it exerts regulating liver and muscle metabolism. Adiponectin has insulin-sensitizing action and leads to down-regulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis and an increase of fatty acid oxidation. In addition, adiponectin is reported to play an important role in the inhibition of inflammation. The hormone is secreted in full-length form, which can either assemble into complexes or be converted into globular form by proteolytic cleavage. Over the past few years, emerging publications reveal a more varied and pleiotropic action of this hormone. Many studies emphasize a key role of adiponectin during tissue regeneration and show that adiponectin deficiency greatly inhibits the mechanisms underlying tissue renewal. This review deals with the role of adiponectin in tissue regeneration, mainly referring to skeletal muscle regeneration, a process in which adiponectin is deeply involved. In this tissue, globular adiponectin increases proliferation, migration and myogenic properties of both resident stem cells (namely satellite cells) and non-resident muscle precursors (namely mesoangioblasts). Furthermore, skeletal muscle could be a site for the local production of the globular form that occurs in an inflamed environment. Overall, these recent findings contribute to highlight an intriguing function of adiponectin in addition to its well-recognized metabolic action.