QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Trayhurn, P. Articles by Wood, I. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Trayhurn, P. Articles by Wood, I. S. Pubmed/NCBI databases Substance via MeSH

---

Supplement: The WALTHAM International Sciences Symposia Innovations in Companion Animal Nutrition: Obesity and Weight Management

Adipose Tissue and Adipokines—Energy Regulation from the Human Perspective^1–3,

Obesity Biology Unit, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GA, UK

⁴ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: p.trayhurn{at}liverpool.ac.uk.

There has been a rapid rise in the incidence of obesity, primarily as a result of changes in lifestyle (diet and activity levels). Obesity has provided considerable impetus for the investigation of the fundamental mechanisms involved in the regulation of energy balance. Important developments include the identification of novel factors involved in the control of appetite, such as ghrelin, orexin A, and the endogenous cannabinoids, and the emergence of the concept of "nonexercise activity thermogenesis" (NEAT) provided new perspectives on energy expenditure. Studies on white adipose tissue have led to the recognition that it is an important endocrine organ, communicating with the brain and peripheral tissues through the secretion of leptin and other adipokines. There is a rapidly expanding list of protein factors released by white adipose tissue, including the key hormone, adiponectin. Of particular note is the range of cytokines, chemokines, and other inflammation-related proteins secreted by white fat as tissue mass rises; indeed, obesity is characterized by chronic mild inflammation. The adipokines provide an extensive network of communication both within adipose tissue and with other organs, and some are implicated directly in the pathologies associated with obesity, particularly the metabolic syndrome. Although the focus remains very much on obesity in humans, the disorder and its sequelae are also a growing concern in companion animals.

KEY WORDS: • adipocytes • adipokines • energy balance • inflammation • obesity

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. P. Hyland, A. P. Chambers, C. M. Keenan, Q. J. Pittman, and K. A. Sharkey Differential adipokine response in genetically predisposed lean and obese rats during inflammation: a role in modulating experimental colitis? Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, November 1, 2009; 297(5): G869 - G877. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Herse, Bai Youpeng, A. C. Staff, J. Yong-Meid, R. Dechend, and Zhou Rong Circulating and Uteroplacental Adipocytokine Concentrations in Preeclampsia Reproductive Sciences, June 1, 2009; 16(6): 584 - 590. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. A. Bayol, B. H. Simbi, J. A. Bertrand, and N. C. Stickland Offspring from mothers fed a 'junk food' diet in pregnancy and lactation exhibit exacerbated adiposity that is more pronounced in females J. Physiol., July 1, 2008; 586(13): 3219 - 3230. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Zheng and H.-R. Berthoud Neural Systems Controlling the Drive to Eat: Mind Versus Metabolism Physiology, April 1, 2008; 23(2): 75 - 83. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. J. Hausman, C. R. Barb, and R. G. Dean Patterns of gene expression in pig adipose tissue: Transforming growth factors, interferons, interleukins, and apolipoproteins J Anim Sci, October 1, 2007; 85(10): 2445 - 2456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]