Context: Resistin is an adipokine correlated with inflammatory markers and is predictive for cardiovascular diseases. There is evidence that serum resistin levels are elevated in obese patients; however, the role of resistin in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes remains controversial.
Objective: We addressed the question of whether inflammation may induce expression of resistin in organs involved in regulation of total body energy metabolism, such as liver and adipose tissue (AT).
Methods: Human liver tissue, sc AT, and omentum were cultured in the absence/presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The resistin and cytokine mRNA and protein expression levels were determined by real-time PCR, ELISA, and Multiplex Technology, respectively. The localization of resistin in human liver was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
Results: Resistin gene and protein expression was significantly higher in liver than in AT. Exposure of human AT and liver tissue in culture to LPS did not alter resistin concentration; however, concentrations of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNFalpha were significantly increased in these tissues. In liver, resistin colocalizes with markers for Kupffer cells, for a subset of endothelial and fibroblast-like cells.
Conclusions: High level of resistin gene and protein expression in liver compared to AT implies that resistin should not be considered only as an adipokine in humans. LPS-induced inflammation does not affect resistin protein synthesis in human liver and AT. This suggests that elevated serum resistin levels are not indicative for inflammation of AT or liver in a manner similar to known inflammatory markers such as IL-1beta, IL-6, or TNFalpha.