抄録
Adipokines are cytokines secreted from adipocytes. They play an essential role in both metabolic diseases and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In RA patients, concentrations of typical adipokines in the synovial fluid or serum tend to be higher than in control subjects; therefore, the role of adipokines in inflammation has been under intense investigation. Adiponectin (Ad) in particular plays a role in many biological processes, however, its influence on inflammation is controversial. From our investigations into how Ad may act in inflammation we concluded that infiltrating macrophages and neutrophils at sites of local inflammation, such as in the synovial tissues of RA patients, are activated by inflammatory cytokines and secrete elastase resulting in the production of globular Ad (gAd), and that that gAd augments the inflammatory response.
