Role of resistin in cardiovascular diseases: Implications for prevention and treatment

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are associated with socioeconomic and, most importantly, with clinical problems. Accordingly, the identification of early and specific biomarkers indicating metabolic changes that underlie disease development and/or progression is important and may improve preventive and treatment strategies. A recently discovered protein - resistin (ADSF, FIZZ3) - whose expression is increased in carbohydrate metabolism and adipose tissue disorders, seems to be worth of interest in this context. The current publication was based on a detailed review of available literature, including Medline, EBSCO, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. The search period was between January 1, 2001 and December 20, 2020. The following keywords were used: "resistin", "resistin AND cardiology" and "resistin AND cardiosurgery". Our review covered a total of 4476 records, 594 of which were review publications. The presented article summarizes the current knowledge on the role of resistin in prevention and treatment of CVDs. Available literature shows that resistin may be a predictor for various pathological states; however, data from some studies on the pathophysiological mechanisms of action are contradictory. There is a need for further investigations to explore the exact role of resistin in CVDs.