Fig. 2.

Adipokine signaling in the joint. Within the joint capsule, fad pads are in close proximity with other joint tissues, such as meniscus, bone, cartilage, synovium, and tendon. The infrapatellar fat pad secretes adipokines thereby affecting neighboring tissues biochemically. Infiltrating through synovial membrane, adipokines also become part of synovial fluid and affect cells at more distant sites in the joint. Since adipokine receptors are widely distributed in different types of cells, adipokine can regulate cellular functions of different joint tissues, including meniscus, bone, cartilage, synovium, and tendon