White adipose tissue and cardiovascular disease

Adipocytokine secretion may be regulated dynamically by the nutritional state. Visceral fat accumulation leads to dysfunction of adipocytes (including hypersecretion of TNF-αα, PAI-1 and HBEGF, and hyposecretion of adiponectin), which results in the development of a variety of metabolic and circulatory diseases. In this review, the importance of adipocytokines, including adiponectin, is discussed with respect to cardiovascular disease.