Resveratrol inhibits TNF-alpha-induced changes of adipokines in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is chronically elevated in adipose tissues of obese rodents and humans. Increased levels of TNF-α are implicated in the induction of atherogenic adipokines, such as plasminogen activator inhibitor -1 (PAI-1) and IL-6, and the inhibition of the anti-atherogenic adipokine, adiponectin. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol on TNF-α-induced atherogenic changes of the adipokines in 3T3-L1 cells. Exposure to TNF-α for 24 h increased PAI-1 and IL-6 secretion and decreased adiponectin secretion. The mRNA expression of adipokines changed in parallel with mRNA expression. Resveratrol effectively reversed the secretion and mRNA expression of the atherogenic adipokines, PAI-1 and IL-6, induced by TNF-α. Decreased secretion levels and mRNA expression of adiponectin by TNF-α were also recovered by resveratrol treatment. Our results suggest that resveratrol may improve obesity-induced cardiovascular disease, particularly atherosclerosis, by attenuating the TNF-α-induced changes of adipokines.