Fig. 1.

Cardiovascular protection by adiponectin

Adiponectin exerts protective actions on the cardiovascular system. Adiponectin reduces foam cell transformation of macrophages and attenuates inflammatory response in macrophages. Adiponectin switches the macrophage phenotype from inflammatory M1 to the anti-inflammatory M2 and promotes clearance of early apoptotic cells. Adiponectin also reduces apoptosis, expression of adhesion molecules, and monocyte adhesion in endothelial cells. Furthermore, adiponectin attenuates apoptosis, inflammation, and hypertrophic response in cardiomyocytes.