Leptin was discovered in 1994, finding, that marked the beginning of a new understanding about white adipose tissue. Up to end of 20th century this tissue was viewed as an inert tissue, devoted to body protection from heat loss and to passively store energy. This static vision, changed with identification of the product of the gene obese (ob) wich accentuated the role of adipose tissue in the physiopathology of obesity-linked diseases, and led to the discovery of various adipokines, many of a pro-inflammatory nature. With emerged knowledge of (WAT)-derived adipokines, it is obvious that they can be now considered as the bond between obesity-related environmental causes, such as nutrition and lifestyle, and the biochemical shifts that lead to metabolic syndrome, inflammatory and/or autoimmune conditions, and rheumatic diseases. This paper deals with reviews of recent adipokine research, with particular emphasis to the role of leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and visfatin in chondrocyte function and skeleton, as well as in inflammatory and degenerative cartilage joint diseases.

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