Resistin: another rising biomarker in inflammatory bowel disease?

The researchers' view regarding the role of white adipose tissue (WAT) in inflammation has been greatly transformed over the last 10 years. WAT is now considered as an active organ producing many crucial molecules called adipokines. Resistin is a recently discovered cysteine-rich adipokine that has emerged during this decade as a promising inflammatory marker in various diseases. It is synthesized either from adipocytes or from immune cells, and exerts a pro-inflammatory profile in a variety of different experimental settings. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by anorexia, malnutrition, altered body composition and the development of mesenteric WAT hypertrophy. The study by Konrad-Zerna et al. in this issue of the journal demonstrates an increased serum resistin in IBD patients, this being in agreement with previous IBD studies in mesenteric WAT and serum. Interesting aspects like the true validity of resistin as a marker of disease activity, the role of its different molecular isoforms, the cells that predominantly produce this molecule, and the possible use of resistin as a guide for therapeutic interventions, arise.