{ "abstract": "Background and aims: Adiponectin circulates as multimers with potentially distinct biological roles, yet most human studies report total adiponectin, which may mask multimer-specific metabolic information. This study aimed to determine whether circulating low- (LMW) and medium-molecular-weight (MMW) adiponectin and their relative pattern are associated with cardiometabolic, behavioral, and chrononutrition characteristics in adults undergoing screening for the RIO Study. Methods and results: In this cross-sectional study, 112 adults who completed the screening assessment for the RIO Study underwent anthropometric/body-composition assessment, fasting biochemistry, self-reported physical activity and sitting time, and chrononutrition evaluation. Serum adiponectin multimers were quantified by Western immunoblotting; under the present experimental conditions, only low-molecular-weight (LMW) and medium-molecular-weight (MMW) multimers were consistently detectable. Associations were assessed using Pearson correlations, adjusted multiple linear regression, and principal component analysis (PCA). Exploratory correlations suggested associations of MMW adiponectin and the MMW/LMW ratio with several anthropometric and metabolic variables. However, after multivariable adjustment, most associations with adiposity and lipid variables were attenuated, whereas inverse associations with GGT and ALT persisted. MMW adiponectin remained inversely associated with GGT (β=−0.37, p < 0.001) and ALT (β=−0.32, p = 0.002). Physically active participants had higher MMW adiponectin and MMW/LMW ratios than inactive participants (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). Exploratory PCA identified five components with eigenvalues >1, together explaining 66.6% of the total variance. LMW and MMW adiponectin contributed to the multivariate structure, including a shared adiponectin-related component. Conclusion: In this cardiometabolic screening cohort, MMW adiponectin and the MMW/LMW ratio showed persistent inverse associations with selected liver-enzyme measures, particularly GGT and ALT, after adjustment for potential confounders. These exploratory findings support further investigation of LMW and MMW adiponectin as metabolic biomarkers using longitudinal and interventional designs.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Carrera de Kinesiología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Rehabilitación y Calidad de Vida, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile", "Centro de Biología Celular y Biomedicina (CEBICEM), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile", "Carrera de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile", "Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética, Facultad de Ciencias de la Rehabilitación y Calidad de Vida, Universidad San Sebastián, Valdivia, Chile", "Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile", "Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Anatomía, Patología e Histología, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile", "Doctorado en Enfermedades Crónicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile", "Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Central de Chile, Carrera de Tecnología Médica, Santiago, Chile", "Departamento de Nutrición y Salud Pública, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y los Alimentos, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile", "Hospital del Mar Research Institute (HMRIB), Barcelona, Spain", "CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain", "Universitat Ramon Llull, Blanquerna School of Health Sciences, Barcelona, Spain", "CIBER de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 13, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Sergio Martínez-Huenchullán" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Nicole Cares" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Josefina Enríquez" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Consuelo Quezada" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Jessica Molina" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Teresa Ross" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Amanda Bentes" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Yanara Pavez" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Paola Rubilar" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Catalina Ramírez-Contreras" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Monserrat Fitó" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Álvaro Hernáez" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Viviana Sandoval" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/757zxse4bfdva.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360041", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "757zxse4bfdva", "issns": [ "1932-6203" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360041", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "2713|Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Hormones/Peptide hormones/Adiponectin" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Lipids" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Molecular development/Cytokines/Adipokines/Adiponectin" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines/Adipokines/Adiponectin" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Immune physiology/Cytokines/Adipokines/Adiponectin" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Physiological parameters/Body weight" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Physiological processes/Eating" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Behavior/Sedentary behavior" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system/Innate immune system/Cytokines/Adipokines/Adiponectin" ], [ "plos", "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Physical activity" ], [ "plos", "/Physical sciences/Chemistry/Chemical compounds/Acids/Uric acid" ], [ "plos", "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Mathematical and statistical techniques/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis" ], [ "plos", "/Social sciences/Psychology/Behavior/Sedentary behavior" ] ], "openalex": "W7220418513", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0360041&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-10-05", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/757zxse4bfdva.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0360041", "source": "plos", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360041" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:immunology", "subfield": "immunology" }, { "field": "mathematics", "origin": "plos:statistical methods", "subfield": "statistics" }, { "field": "medicine", "origin": "plos:physiology", "subfield": "physiology" } ], "title": "Circulating low- and medium-molecular-weight adiponectin are associated with metabolic phenotypes in adults undergoing cardiometabolic screening", "title_text": "Circulating low- and medium-molecular-weight adiponectin are associated with metabolic phenotypes in adults undergoing cardiometabolic screening", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:37Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/757zxse4bfdva", "venue": "PLOS One", "versions": [] }