Diurnal and Ultradian Dynamics of Serum Adiponectin in Healthy Men: Comparison with Leptin, Circulating Soluble Leptin Receptor, and Cortisol Patterns

Adiponectin is an abundant serum adipokine secreted exclusively from differentiated adipocytes, which plays an important role in regulating insulin sensitivity. The dynamics of circulating adiponectin concentrations have yet to be systematically investigated. We sought to determine whether serum adiponectin levels exhibit diurnal or ultradian rhythms in healthy normal-weight men and to compare the 24-h profile of adiponectin fluctuations with those of leptin, leptin-binding protein (sOB-R), and cortisol. We collected blood samples at 15-min intervals over 24 h from six subjects receiving an isocaloric diet, and we measured adiponectin, leptin, sOB-R, and cortisol levels. Fourier and cross-correlation analyses were performed on these time series to study diurnal variations, and the Cluster7 program was used for pulsatility analysis. Circulating adiponectin and sOB-R levels exhibited ultradian pulsatility as well as a diurnal variation with a significant decline at night, reaching a nadir in the early morning. The 24-h variations of serum adiponectin and sOB-R were nearly identical and followed those of cortisol after a few hours, but were out-of-phase with leptin diurnal rhythms. These data suggest that adiponectin and sOB-R levels might be influenced by common regulatory factors and challenge the notion that cortisol may have a direct inhibitory effect on adiponectin in humans.