[Adipose tissue as an endocrine organ]

The concept of adipose tissue as an inactive organ, which serves only for the accumulation and storage of energy substrates and triglycerides, has finally remained in the past. Studies of recent decades have shown that adipose tissue is very active in the metabolic aspect, and also produces many hormone-like substances, mediators, cytokines, chemokines that act at the local and systemic level, i.e., para- and endocrine. Regulatory substances produced in adipose tissue have received the general name adipokines or adipocytokines. Their study is the most actively developing area of ​​modern endocrinology. Adipokines made it possible to explain the pathophysiology of the long-known clinical phenomena of the close relationship between obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), arteriosclerosis and insulin resistance. The list of adipokines produced in adipose tissue is very impressive and will undoubtedly be supplemented. By the beginning of 2008, the following adipokines were described: leptin, adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), visfatin, apelin, omentine, vaspin, retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4) and other factors, including lipoprotein lipase, apolipoprotein E, complement factors, tissue factor, plasminogen activation inhibitor-1 (IAP-1), proteins of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). In addition, adipocytes express chemokines such as MCP-1 and RANTES.This review schematically presents the basic physiological and pathophysiological actions of known adipokines.