Adiponectin stimulates angiogenesis in response to tissue ischemia through stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase signaling

Obesity is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases that are associated with impaired angiogenesis. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific adipocytokine with anti-atherogenic and anti-diabetic properties, and its plasma levels are reduced in association with obesity-linked diseases. Here, we investigated whether adiponectin regulates angiogenesis in response to tissue ischemia using adiponectin knock-out ( KO) mice. Angiogenic repair of ischemic hind limbs was impaired in adiponectin-KO mice compared with wildtype (WT) mice as evaluated by laser Doppler flow method and capillary density analyses. Adenovirus-mediated supplement of adiponectin accelerated angiogenic repair in both adiponectin-KO and WT mice. Intramuscular injection of an adenovirus encoding dominant-negative AMP-activated kinase diminished the improvement in limb perfusion seen in WT mice and abolished the adiponectin-induced enhancement of perfusion. These data indicate that adiponectin can function to stimulate angiogenesis in response to ischemic stress by promoting AMP-activated kinase signaling. Therefore, adiponectin may be useful in the treatment for obesity-related vascular deficiency diseases.