[Adiponectin and resistin: a role in the reproductive functions?]

Adipokines are hormones mainly produced by the white adipose tissue, an endocrine organ involved in energy homeostasis. They play an important role in the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolisms, in inflammation and immune disorders. New roles for adipokines have recently emerged in the field of fertility and reproduction. Indeed, adipokines such as adiponectin and resistin are able to regulate the functions of male and female gonads and of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. For example, they modulate steroidogenesis of gonadic somatic cells, germ cell maturation and secretion of gonadotrope hormones in various species. The reproductive system is tightly coupled with energy balance, and thereby metabolic abnormalities can lead to the development of physiopathological situations such as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Obesity and overweight are significantly involved in the declining natural fertility and decrease the effectiveness of treatments. Women with obesity and/or PCOS have abnormal plasma adiponectin and resistin profiles. Thus, these adipokines could be a link between reproduction and energy metabolism and could partly explain some infertility related to obesity or PCOS.