Fat tissue and adiponectin: new players in critical care?

Historically, adipose tissue was thought to be a passive tissue that stores energy and protects the body from temperature and injury. In contrast to this concept, it is now evident that adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ secreting many kinds of adipocytokines, including adiponectin. Presumably, adipose tissue and its products may have some impact on numerous pathways of response to trauma, sepsis and stress. The discussion on a plausible role of adiponectin in critical illness has been raised by the fact of finding hypoadiponectinemia in critically ill patients. The nature of this phenomenon, however, remains to be elucidated, and noteworthy clinical studies should prompt further efforts in basic research to explain the mechanisms beyond the clinical observation of low adiponectin levels in humans with severe illness.