Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Mouse Electroacupuncture Fixation Device Fabrication for Electroacupuncture Pretreatment in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Mouse Model
Published on: April 18, 2025
Role of Adropin in Cardiometabolic Disorders: From Pathophysiological Mechanisms to Therapeutic Target
Josko Bozic1, Marko Kumric1, Tina Ticinovic Kurir1,2
1Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia.
Insights
Adropin, a peptide hormone, plays a key role in protecting the vascular endothelium and may serve as a biomarker for endothelial dysfunction (ED) in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Further research is needed to explore its therapeutic potential.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Endocrinology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is central to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), yet clinical application of research findings is limited.
- A gap exists between basic research on ED and its implementation in clinical practice.
- Investigating novel mechanisms and therapeutic targets for ED is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of adropin in physiological processes and its protective effects on the endothelium.
- To explore the implications of adropin for cardiovascular pathologies and clinical use.
- To summarize current knowledge on adropin as a potential biomarker and therapeutic agent for ED.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on adropin, endothelial dysfunction, and cardiovascular diseases.
- Analysis of data on adropin's role in endothelial NO synthesis and vasoprotection.
- Evaluation of clinical data correlating adropin levels with ED and disease progression.
Main Results:
- Adropin is a peptide hormone primarily secreted by the liver, regulating vascular endothelium.
- Adropin's vasoprotective role is linked to its effect on endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthesis.
- Plasma adropin levels correlate with ED indices and disease progression in various pathologies.
Conclusions:
- Adropin shows promise as a biomarker for endothelial dysfunction (ED) in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
- Preliminary studies suggest therapeutic potential for adropin, but further investigation is required.
- Bridging the gap between ED research and clinical practice may be facilitated by understanding adropin's role.
Abstract:
Although a large amount of data supports the crucial role of endothelial dysfunction (ED) in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), there is a large bench-to-bedside chasm between basic and clinical research of ED, limiting the implementation of these findings in everyday clinical settings. Hence, it is important to further investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ED and find modalities that will alleviate its clinical implementation. Adropin, a highly conserved peptide hormone secreted primarily by the liver, recently emerged as an important regulatory component of the vascular endothelium. Specifically, the vasoprotective role of adropin is achieved mainly by affecting endothelial NO synthesis. Thus, in this review, we aimed to summarize the current knowledge regarding the role of adropin in physiological processes and address the protective role of adropin in endothelium with consequent implications to CV pathologies. We focused on data regarding the role of adropin in the clinical setting, with concurrent implications to future clinical use of adropin. Studies suggest that plasma levels of adropin correlate with indices of ED in various pathologies and enhanced disease progression, implying that adropin may serve as a useful biomarker of ED in the upcoming future. On the other hand, despite notable results with respect to therapeutic potential of adropin in preliminary experiments, further well-designed studies are warranted in order to establish if adropin might be beneficial in this setting.
Related Concept Videos
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System
Adrenergic Antagonists: ɑ and β-Receptor Blockers
Adrenergic Antagonists: Pharmacological Actions of β-Receptor Blockers
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
Adrenergic Receptors: β Subtype
Isoprenaline > Adrenaline > Noradrenaline
Neurotransmitter binding to these receptors causes activation of adenylyl cyclase resulting in increased concentrations of cAMP and modulation of calcium ion channels within the cell. They are further classified into β1, β2, and β3 subtypes.
β1-adrenoceptors: β1-adrenoceptors...

