Visfatin: A Possible Role in Cardiovasculo-Metabolic Disorders

Ali Dakroub; Suzanne A. Nasser; Nour Younis; Humna Bhagani; Yusra Al-Dhaheri; Gianfranco Pintus; Assaad A. Eid; Ahmed F. El-Yazbi; Ali H. Eid

doi:10.3390/cells9112444

Cells (Nov 2020)

Visfatin: A Possible Role in Cardiovasculo-Metabolic Disorders

Ali Dakroub,
Suzanne A. Nasser,
Nour Younis,
Humna Bhagani,
Yusra Al-Dhaheri,
Gianfranco Pintus,
Assaad A. Eid,
Ahmed F. El-Yazbi,
Ali H. Eid

Affiliations

Ali Dakroub: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
Suzanne A. Nasser: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Beirut Arab University, Beirut P.O. Box 11-5020, Lebanon
Nour Younis: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
Humna Bhagani: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
Yusra Al-Dhaheri: Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 15551, UAE
Gianfranco Pintus: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, UAE
Assaad A. Eid: Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
Ahmed F. El-Yazbi: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon
Ali H. Eid: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9112444
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 11
p. 2444

Abstract

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Visfatin/NAMPT (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase) is an adipocytokine with several intriguing properties. It was first identified as pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor but turned out to possess enzymatic functions in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis, with ubiquitous expression in skeletal muscles, liver, cardiomyocytes, and brain cells. Visfatin exists in an intracellular (iNAMPT) and extracellular (eNAMPT) form. Intracellularly, visfatin/iNAMPT plays a regulatory role in NAD+ biosynthesis and thereby affects many NAD-dependent proteins such as sirtuins, PARPs, MARTs and CD38/157. Extracellularly, visfatin is associated with many hormone-like signaling pathways and activates some intracellular signaling cascades. Importantly, eNAMPT has been associated with several metabolic disorders including obesity and type 1 and 2 diabetes. In this review, a brief overview about visfatin is presented with special emphasis on its relevance to metabolic diseases. Visfatin/NAMPT appears to be a unique molecule with clinical significance with a prospective promising diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic applications in many cardiovasculo-metabolic disorders.

Published in Cells

ISSN: 2073-4409 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Cytology
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cells

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Abstract

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