| Abstract: | The traditional concept of adipose tissue as a passive reservoir for energy storage is no longer valid because it has been demonstrated that adipose tissue is a complex, essential, and highly active metabolic and endocrine organ that not only responds to afferent signals from traditional hormone systems and the central nervous system (CNS), but also expresses and secretes factors with important endocrine functions. These factors include leptin and other cytokines. Adipose tissue is also a major site for metabolism of sex steroids and glucocorticoids. The important endocrine function of adipose tissue is emphasized by adverse metabolic consequences of both adipose tissue excess and deficiency. Adipose tissue excess, particularly in visceral compartment, is associated with insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and prothrombotic and proinflammatory states. Liver is one of the principal targets of lipid-associated damage by mechanisms that involve apoptosis activation by source of tumoral necrosis factor-alpha and caspase activation and liberation of oxygen-reactive species by oxidative stress and enzymatic chains such as P450, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4, resulting in a continuum involving non alcohol-related fatty liver, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis with or without fibrosis, and liver cirrhosis. This work presents an overview of endocrine functions of adipose tissue and its influence on mechanisms of liver damage. |
