Effect of glucocorticoids on adiponectin: a study in healthy subjects and in Cushing's syndrome

Abstract

Objective: Glucocorticoids were found to inhibit adiponectin gene expression and secretion both in vitro and in animal models. We evaluated first the acute effect of i.v. glucocorticoids on adiponectin in normal subjects and secondly plasma adiponectin levels in a series of patients with Cushing's syndrome compared with controls. Design and methods: Hydrocortisone (25 mg) was administered i.v. to five healthy volunteers, with blood samples taken at 215, 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min. Twenty-one patients with Cushing's syndrome were divided in two groups: one with 11 obese and the other with 10 non-obese Cushing's patients. Each group was compared with controls that were matched for sex, age, body mass index, waist circumference, glucose, insulin, lipid levels and blood pressure. Results: In normal subjects, hydrocortisone produced a decrease in adiponectin at 30 and 60 min, compared with placebo (P , 0.05). Adiponectin was lower in non-obese Cushing's patients than in non-obese controls (P , 0.004). In contrast, there was no difference in adiponectin levels in obese Cushing's patients and in obese controls. Adiponectin was inversely correlated (P , 0.05) with homeostasis model assessment index in both obese and non-obese Cushing's patients; in nonobese Cushing's patients only, adiponectin was inversely correlated with urinary cortisol (P , 0.05). Conclusions: Glucocorticoids inhibit adiponectin in man, as shown by both exogenous administration to healthy subjects and endogenous cortisol hyperproduction. Similar levels of adiponectin in obese Cushing's patients and their obese controls indicate that obesity per se may act as a predominant factor in masking the relationship between adiponectin and cortisol.

Adiponectin is critical in determining susceptibility to depressive behaviors and has antidepressant-like activity

“…The mechanisms underlying social-defeat-induced reduction in circulating adiponectin levels are not yet known. However, studies have shown that glucocorticoid stress hormones inhibit adiponectin gene expression and secretion both in vitro and in vivo (39)(40)(41)(42). It seems reasonable to speculate that social-defeat-induced decrease in plasma adiponectin levels may be attributed to stress-induced glucocorticoid surge.…”

Serum Adipokine Concentrations in Dogs with Naturally Occurring Pituitary‐Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism

“…However, the effects of excess glucocorticoids on the blood adiponectin levels remain controversial. In human medicine, a study found that patients with Cushing's syndrome had lower adiponectin levels than the controls, which suggests that hypercortisolemia directly affected the adiponectin levels independent of body weight 43. However, another study reported that the serum adiponectin levels in patients with Cushing's syndrome did not differ from those in the control group and they were not changed significantly after hypophysectomy, despite a significant decrease in the body fat mass, insulin resistance, and cortisol 36, 44.…”

Neonatal capsaicin causes compensatory adjustments to energy homeostasis in rats

“…After cessation of the IVGTT, blood glucose, plasma insulin and corticosterone levels returned to normal, but a higher plasma adiponectin and lower resistin levels in CAP rats relative to VEH controls was found at this stage. It might be possible that the transiently different plasma corticosterone levels in CAP and VEH rats contributed to these effects [25,26] but additional or more important factors are not ruled out. While it is unlikely that the changes in adiponectin and resistin levels contributed to the differences in glucose-toinsulin indexes during the preceding IVGTT, they might have a major impact on successive excursions of blood glucose or on the metabolic consequences of these.…”