Association between serum high-molecular-weight adiponectin level and the severity of chronic graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients

Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that adiponectin, which is secreted by adipose tissues, plays a critical role in obesity-related and autoimmune diseases. We compared the concentrations of adiponectin among 26 normal subjects and 34 allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients. The concentrations of adiponectin were significantly higher in recipients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) than those in subjects without cGVHD (21.7 ± 11.0 vs 9.1 ± 6.1 μg/mL in females, P < .001; and 10.1 ± 6.8 vs 4.3 ± 2.9 μg/mL in males, P = .003). Multivariate analysis revealed that a higher concentration of adiponectin was associated with female sex (β-coefficient 8.2, P < .0001) and the severity of cGVHD (β-coefficient 6.6, 12.7, and 15.6, P < .01, each for mild, moderate, and severe cGVHD, respectively). In addition, adiponectin levels increased as cGVHD progressed, decreased as cGVHD improved, and did not change with stable cGVHD. In conclusion, adiponectin was associated with the severity of cGVHD and might play a role in the pathophysiology of cGVHD.