The role of adipocytokines and their receptors in bladder cancer: expression of adiponectin or leptin is an independent prognosticator

Adipocytokines such as leptin and adiponectin have functions in metabolism as well as the development and progression of various types of malignancies. However, little is known about their role in bladder cancer. In this study, we investigated whether leptin, adiponectin, and their receptors have an impact on bladder cancer outgrowth and the mechanisms involved. We performed immunohistochemistry for leptin, leptin receptor (Ob-R), adiponectin, and adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1, AdipoR2) in bladder cancer tissue microarrays. Wound healing assay and western blot were then performed in human bladder cancer lines. The positive rates (0 vs 1+/2+/3+) of Ob-R (P=0.004), adiponectin (P