Adipose tissue is now recognized as an active endocrine organ, which synthesizes and secretes numerous peptides factors called adipokines. In mammals, they exert pleiotropic effects affecting energy metabolism but also fertility. In mammals, secretion of adipokines is altered in adipose tissue dysfunctions and may participate to obesity-associated disorders. Thus, adipokines are promising candidates both for novel pharmacological treatment strategies and as diagnostic tools. As compared to mammals, birds exhibit several unique physiological features, which make them an interesting model for comparative studies on endocrine control of metabolism and adiposity and reproductive functions. Some adipokines such as leptin and visfatin may have different roles in avian species as compared to mammals. In addition, some of them found in mammals such as CCL2 (chemokine ligand 2), resistin, omentin and FGF21 (Fibroblast Growth factor 21) have not yet been mapped to the chicken genome model and among its annotated gene models. This brief review aims to summarize data (structure, metabolic and reproductive roles and molecular mechanisms involved) related to main avian adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, visfatin, and chemerin) and we will briefly discuss the adipokines that are still lacking in avian species.

脂肪组织现在被认为是一种活跃的内分泌器官，它合成和分泌许多称为脂肪因子的肽因子。在哺乳动物中，它们发挥影响能量代谢和生育能力的多效性作用。在哺乳动物中，脂肪因子的分泌在脂肪组织功能障碍中发生改变，并可能参与肥胖相关疾病。因此，脂肪因子是新型药物治疗策略和诊断工具的有希望的候选者。与哺乳动物相比，鸟类表现出一些独特的生理特征，这使它们成为比较研究内分泌控制代谢和肥胖以及生殖功能的有趣模型。与哺乳动物相比，瘦素和内脂素等一些脂肪因子在鸟类中可能具有不同的作用。此外，其中一些在哺乳动物中发现，如 CCL2（趋化因子配体 2）、抵抗素、omentin 和 FGF21（成纤维细胞生长因子 21）尚未映射到鸡基因组模型及其注释基因模型中。这篇简短的综述旨在总结与主要鸟类脂肪因子（瘦素、脂联素、内脂素和凯莫瑞）相关的数据（结构、代谢和生殖作用以及所涉及的分子机制），我们将简要讨论鸟类物种中仍然缺乏的脂肪因子。