Intrauterine growth restriction: the controversial role of perinatal adipocytokines in the prediction of metabolic adult disease.

"Prenatal/fetal programming," implying structural/functional disorders of developing tissues/organs, consequent to an adverse intrauterine environment leading to asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), predisposes to metabolic syndrome and noncommunicable diseases in adulthood, in the framework of the "Developmental Origins of Health and Disease" (DOHaD) concept. DOHaD consequences are associated with adipose tissue, particularly the visceral one, occurring in relative abundance in IUGR infants. Adipose tissue secretes numerous hormones, collectively called adipocytokines, as leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, resistin, apelin, visfatin, omentin, vaspin, preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1), fatty acid-binding protein-4, lipocalin-2, and others, implicated in fetal growth, body metabolism, energy homeostasis, and insulin resistance. Early identification of adipocytokines as biomarkers predicting later metabolic disorders/diseases in IUGR individuals, enabling relevant protective interventions, would be of utmost importance. Current data do not support this perspective, due to controversial results in the literature, with the eventual exception of visfatin and possibly Pref-1.