Vol. 45 (2): 220-228, March – April, 2019
doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2018.0261
REVIEW ARTICLE
Xiaobo Hu 1,2, Cong Hu 2, Caiping Zhang 2, Min Zhang 2, Shiyin Long 2, Zhaohui Cao 1,2
1 Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China; 2 Department of Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy and Biosciences, University of South China, Hengyang, China
ABSTRACT
Obesity is defined as a chronic and excessive growth of adipose tissue. It has been associated with a high risk for development and progression of obesity-associated malignancies, while adipokines may mediate this association. Adiponectin is an adipose tissue-derived adipokines, with significant anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic and anti-proliferative properties. Plasma adiponectin levels are decreased in obese individuals, and this feature is closely correlated with development of several metabolic, immunological and neoplastic diseases. Recent studies have shown that prostate cancer patients have lower serum adiponectin levels and decreased expression of adiponectin receptors in tumor tissues, which suggests plasma adiponectin level is a risk factor for prostate cancer. Furthermore, exogenous adiponectin has exhibited therapeutic potential in animal models. In this review, we focus on the potential role of adiponectin and the underlying mechanism of adiponectin in the development and progression of prostate cancer. Exploring the signaling pathways linking adiponectin with tumorigenesis might provide a potential target for therapy.
Keywords: Prostatic Neoplasms; Obesity; Stress, Physiological
