Adipokines in obesity

White adipose tissue is recognized as a dynamic endocrine organ able to produce and release several bioactive polypeptides known as adipokines. Obesity is defined as an excessive growth of adipose tissue. As such, it is likely that adipokines could play an important role in the development of diseases associated with obesity including insulin resistance, inflammation, hypertension, cardiovascular risk and metabolic disorders. This review focuses on obesity specific-adipokine profiles and the role of some adipokines in obesity-related metabolic disorders. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.