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World J Hepatol. Oct 27, 2018; 10(10): 708-718
Published online Oct 27, 2018. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v10.i10.708
Adiponectin as a novel biomarker for liver fibrosis
Wanvisa Udomsinprasert, Sittisak Honsawek, Yong Poovorawan
Wanvisa Udomsinprasert, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Sittisak Honsawek, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Yong Poovorawan, Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Author contributions: Udomsinprasert W, Honsawek S and Poovorawan Y contributed to the work, conceived and designed this review; Udomsinprasert W generated the figure and wrote the manuscript, Udomsinprasert W, Honsawek S and Poovorawan Y reviewed and edited the manuscript; all authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by The Research Chair Grant from NSTDA, No. P-15-50004; the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, No. GCE 59-00930-005; and Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and Hospital.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests regarding the publication of this paper.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Yong Poovorawan, MD, Professor, Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, 1873 Rama IV Road Patumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand. yong.p@chula.ac.th
Telephone: +66-2-2564909 Fax: +66-2-2564929
Received: July 2, 2018
Peer-review started: July 2, 2018
First decision: July 19, 2018
Revised: August 2, 2018
Accepted: August 6, 2018
Article in press: August 7, 2018
Published online: October 27, 2018
Abstract

Adiponectin is known to play primary roles in the regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Interestingly, emerging evidence indicates beneficial effects of adiponectin on liver fibrosis; however, the exact mechanisms of this action remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to summarize the recent findings regarding the role of adiponectin in liver fibrogenesis and update the current comprehensive knowledge regarding usefulness of adiponectin-based treatments in liver fibrosis. Adiponectin has been demonstrated to have an anti-fibrotic action in the liver by blocking the activation of hepatic stellate cell-mediated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha pathways, which in turn diminish the expression of pro-fibrotic genes. In addition, hyperadiponectinemia was noted in patients with various chronic liver diseases (CLDs)-related liver fibrosis. An increase in circulating adiponectin levels was also found to be associated with the development of liver fibrosis, indicating a role of adiponectin as a non-invasive biomarker for predicting the progression of liver fibrosis. It is therefore reasonable to speculate that adiponectin may be developed as a new therapeutic candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis. Nonetheless, future observations are still necessary to fully elucidate the extent of the effects of adiponectin on liver fibrotic outcomes, in order to modify adiponectin as an anti-fibrotic therapy that would speed up fibrosis reversal in patients with CLD.

Keywords: Adiponectin, Hyperadiponectinemia, Liver fibrosis, Chronic liver disease, Biomarker

Core tip: Adiponectin plays a protective role against the development of liver fibrosis via inhibition of hepatic stellate cell activation, induced by specific signal transduction pathways. Among patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs), hyperadiponectinemia is associated with the degree of liver fibrosis. The potential link between adiponectin and the limited progression of liver fibrosis has accelerated attraction in seeking adiponectin as a target for diagnostic detection tools and novel treatment methods. Nonetheless, additional current therapeutic and clinical trials of adiponectin in liver fibrosis are needed. In this context, we reviewed additional potential therapeutic applications of adiponectin in patients with various CLDs in the context of liver fibrosis.