Visfatin: the potential role in glucose metabolism
Mirjana Sumarac-Dumanovic1, Leonidas Duntas2, Snezana Polovina3, and Dragan Micic1
1Institute of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Diseases of Metabolism, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 2Endocrine Unit, Evgenidion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece, 3General Hospital, Subotica, Serbia

Obesity and insulin resistance could be linked by a variety of proteins secreted by adipocytes. Human obesity-related diabetes and the accompanying metabolic disorders have been specifically linked to increased visceral adipose tissue mass.Visfatin/PBEF (pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor) has recently been identified as a novel adipokine with insulin-mimetic effects. Visfatin is a newly discovered adipokine that is produced by the intra-abdominal adipose tissue, which simultaneously facilitates adipogenesis and has insulin-mimetic properties. It is currently unclear what would be its physiological role or relevance in the context of the metabolic syndrome. Its plasma level correlates with the amount of visceral fat in humans, and increased visceral body fat is closely linked to insulin resistance in adults.Visfatin may link to diabetes, owing to the insulin-mimetic action, by binding to the insulin receptor. Furthermore, an enzymatic function has been reported that reveals visfatin/PBEF as Nampt (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase). Moreover, reports on the structure and hormonal regulation of visfatin have given further insights into its potential physiological role. Growing evidence indicates a role for visfatin in glucose homeostasis. The present review summarizes studies on visfatin as a novel adipokine potentially involved in glucose metabolism.

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