Adipokines in Hepatic Angiogenesis

Hepatic angiogenesis in the course of chronic hepatitis merely represents a homeostatic mechanism directed to ensuring a necessary oxygen supply or one that plays an additional pathogenic role contributing to liver damage. Additionally, in chronic hepatitis, there is a switch toward proangiogenic factors. Many efforts have been directed to explain the mechanisms involved in angiogenesis during the progression of liver fibrosis. Recent data indicate that hepatic angiogenesis and fibrosis are closely related in both clinical and experimental conditions. Adipokines not only regulate adipose tissue and glucose metabolism, but also influence inflammation, fibrogenesis and production of proangiogenic agents. This short review briefly described a possible role of some adipokines in hepatic neovessels formation during liver morbidity.