Adipsin

Key finding: Restoring fat-secreted factors in lipodystrophic mice reintroduced structural osteoarthritis and pain behavior.

Mouse experiments identified fat-secreted leptin and complement factor D as mediators of osteoarthritis severity and pain.

Collins KH, Lenz KL, Welhaven HD, Ely E, Springer LE, Paradi S, Tang R, Braxton L, Akk A, Yan H, Zhang B, Wu X · 2025 · Science advances · PMID 40279436

Key finding: Adipsin lowered SERPINE1 expression by interacting with SERBP1, a step the authors linked to VEGFR2 signaling in vessel growth.

In diabetic mouse and cell models, adipsin supported new blood-vessel growth after hindlimb ischemia through a SERPINE1-linked pathway.

Zhang X, Jiang M, Zhang X, Zuo Y, Zhang H, Zhang T, Yang L, Lin J, Zhang Y, Dai X, Ge W, Sun C · 2024 · Cardiovascular diabetology · PMID 39623437

Key finding: The authors describe impaired adipsin secretion as one factor in pancreatic beta-cell failure.

A 2024 perspective examined how fat-derived signals such as adipsin affect the pancreas, heart, and liver in metabolic disease.

Gilani A, Stoll L, Homan EA, Lo JC · 2024 · Diabetes · PMID 38241508

Key finding: Adipsin limited Irak2 movement into mitochondria, which the study tied to preserved mitochondrial structure.

In diabetic mice, higher adipsin levels were linked to changes in heart-muscle fatty-acid oxidation and mitochondrial integrity through the downstream protein Irak2.

Jiang MY, Man WR, Zhang XB, Zhang XH, Duan Y, Lin J, Zhang Y, Cao Y, Wu DX, Shu XF, Xin L, Wang H · 2023 · Military Medical Research · PMID 38072993

Key finding: The review framed adipose tissue as a major endocrine organ rather than a passive energy store.

A 2002 review cataloged the peptide hormones secreted by white adipose tissue, including adipsin.

Guerre-Millo M · 2002 · Journal of endocrinological investigation · PMID 12508947