Abstract

As the epidemic of obesity continues to infest the world population at alarming proportions, researchers have started to focus on the endocrine aspect of its basic unit: the adipocyte. The last two decades have proved beneficial in understanding the impact of adipocytes, specifically the metabolic influences of its hormones, the adipocytokines. This review focuses on our current understanding of leptin and adiponectin, two of the most studied and established adipocytokines. Patents regarding leptin and adiponectin are highlighted.

Keywords: Leptin, adiponectin, patents