Leptin — Signals and Secretions from White Adipose Tissue

Abstract

The classical view of whité adipose tissue is of an organ concerned with the storage of lipid, responding passively to changes in energy balance. It is now evident that white fat is an important secretory and endocrine organ which plays a wide role in metabolic and physiological regulation. It secretes, in particular, a critical signal in the control of energy balance, i.e. leptin. This hormone is also implicated in a range of other processes, from reproduction to immunity and angiogenesis. A wide variety of protein secretions from white fat have now been identified, including angiotensinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor- l, retinol binding protein adiponectin and interleukin-6, and these are associated with processes as diverse as haemostasis and the control of blood pressure. It is clear that white adipose tissue has come ‘in from the cold’.