MSD V-PLEX · U-PLEX

Adipokines · Metaflammation · Metabolic Proteins

MSD Obesity & Adipokine Biomarker Panel Services

Q: Which matrix is recommended — serum or plasma — for adipokine measurement?

EDTA plasma is preferred for most adipokine panels. The clotting process in serum collection can release platelet-derived factors that affect certain adipokine measurements. For panels that include gut hormones (ghrelin, GLP-1, glucagon, PYY), protease inhibitor-stabilized plasma is required regardless of the matrix choice for adipokines. The Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1 (adiponectin, ApoA1, ApoC3, CRP, RBP4, SHBG, etc.) can be run on standard serum or EDTA plasma — consult during study design. The critical rule is matrix consistency: all samples in a study must use the same matrix type.

Q: Are these panels validated for clinical diagnostic use?

No. All obesity and adipokine panels are manufacturer-validated for research use only (RUO). They are suitable for preclinical studies, cohort research, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development. They are not validated for clinical diagnostic procedures or patient management decisions.

Quantify adipokines, metabolic regulatory proteins, and obesity-associated inflammatory mediators in a single multiplex panel — from focused 5-plex obesity hormone panels to the comprehensive 10-plex adipokine + metabolic protein configuration, across human, mouse, and rat.

Adipose tissue is not a passive energy depot — it is an active endocrine organ secreting adipokines (leptin, adiponectin), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1), and metabolic regulatory proteins (FGF-21, RBP4, SHBG) that systemically influence insulin sensitivity, appetite, energy expenditure, and cardiovascular risk. In obesity, this secretory profile shifts toward a pro-inflammatory state — metaflammation — that drives insulin resistance, NAFLD/NASH progression, and cardiovascular complications. Our obesity and adipokine panels capture this multi-dimensional biology: the adipokines that signal energy stores, the inflammatory mediators that reflect adipose tissue immune infiltration, and the metabolic proteins that link obesity to its systemic consequences — all from a single 25 µL sample.

Inquire About Obesity Panels View Panel Configurations

Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ — Why Multiplex Matters in Obesity Research

The recognition that adipose tissue actively secretes bioactive molecules — adipokines — fundamentally changed obesity research. Leptin signals long-term energy stores to the hypothalamus; adiponectin enhances insulin sensitivity and has anti-inflammatory properties; resistin (in rodents) promotes insulin resistance. But adipose tissue also produces pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1) as it expands, recruiting macrophages and creating a state of chronic low-grade inflammation — metaflammation — that links obesity to its metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Measuring any one of these mediators in isolation captures a single dimension of a multi-dimensional biology. Multiplex measurement reveals the network: the adipokine profile, the inflammatory signature, and the metabolic protein pattern that together define an individual's obesity phenotype.

 Key Biomarker Categories in Obesity Research
Adipokines — the adipocyte secretome: Leptin (energy stores signal; concentrations span 1–100+ ng/mL from lean to obese — requiring wide dynamic range). Adiponectin (insulin-sensitizing; paradoxically decreased in obesity despite being adipocyte-derived). The leptin:adiponectin ratio is a research marker of adipose dysfunction.
Metabolic regulatory proteins: FGF-21 (hepatokine-adipokine; metabolic regulator, insulin sensitizer). RBP4 (retinol-binding protein 4; elevated in insulin resistance). SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin; decreased in obesity and insulin resistance — linking metabolic and reproductive axes). DPPIV (CD26; soluble form elevated in obesity and NAFLD).
Metaflammation markers: IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10 — the cytokines that reflect adipose tissue macrophage infiltration and the chronic inflammatory state that drives insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and NAFLD/NASH progression.
Appetite & energy balance hormones: Ghrelin (orexigenic), GLP-1 (anorexigenic incretin), PYY (satiety), BDNF (energy homeostasis via hypothalamic signaling), β-NGF (neurotrophin with metabolic roles). Several panels integrate these with adipokines for comprehensive energy balance profiling.

Obesity & Adipokine Panel Configurations

Panel	Plex	Analytes	Species
Human Obesity 5-Plex	5	BDNF, FGF-21, Ghrelin (total), Glucagon, Leptin	Human
Human Obesity 7-Plex	7	C-Peptide, FGF-23, Ghrelin (total), GLP-1 (total), Insulin, Leptin, PYY (total)	Human
Human Obesity 10-Plex	10	BDNF, β-NGF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, Insulin, Leptin, MCP-1, TNF-α	Human
Human Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1	10	Adiponectin, ApoA1, ApoC3, Clusterin, CRP, DPPIV, NGAL/LCN2, RBP4, SHBG, sTfR-1	Human
Mouse Obesity 6-Plex	6	C-Peptide, Ghrelin (total), GLP-1 (total), Insulin, Leptin, PYY (total)	Mouse
Mouse Adipokine 8-Plex	8	BDNF, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, Insulin, Leptin, MCP-1, TNF-α	Mouse
Rat Obesity 2-Plex	2	Insulin, Leptin	Rat
Rat Obesity 5-Plex	5	BDNF, FGF-21, Ghrelin (total), Glucagon, Leptin	Rat
Rat Obesity 6-Plex	6	C-Peptide, Ghrelin (total), GLP-1 (total), Insulin, Leptin, PYY (total)	Rat

For panels including gut hormones (ghrelin, GLP-1, glucagon, PYY), protease inhibitor-stabilized plasma collection is required. Adipokine-only panels (Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1) may use standard serum or EDTA plasma — consult during study design.

Metaflammation — The Obesity-Inflammation Interface

Why combining adipokines with inflammatory markers in a single panel provides insight that neither category alone can deliver.

Adipose Tissue Immune Infiltration

As adipocytes hypertrophy during weight gain, they secrete MCP-1, which recruits circulating monocytes into adipose tissue. These monocytes differentiate into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, producing TNF-α and IL-6. The resulting inflammatory milieu impairs adipocyte insulin signaling and adiponectin secretion. The Obesity 10-Plex captures this entire cascade — MCP-1 (recruitment), TNF-α + IL-6 + IL-1β (macrophage effectors), IL-10 (counter-regulatory), Insulin + Leptin (metabolic consequences) — in a single well.

Leptin:Adiponectin Ratio

Leptin increases with adiposity; adiponectin decreases. The ratio captures adipose tissue dysfunction more robustly than either analyte alone. Elevated leptin:adiponectin ratio is associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk in published cohort studies — independent of BMI. The Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1 quantifies both simultaneously, along with CRP (systemic inflammation), RBP4 (insulin resistance), and SHBG (metabolic-reproductive axis).

NAFLD/NASH Biomarker Profiling

Obesity-associated liver disease progresses from steatosis through NASH to fibrosis — a process driven by adipokine imbalance (low adiponectin, high leptin), inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), and hepatokines (FGF-21). FGF-21 is of particular interest: an insulin-sensitizing hepatokine-adipokine that is paradoxically elevated in NAFLD/NASH — potentially reflecting FGF-21 resistance. The Obesity 5-Plex (BDNF, FGF-21, Ghrelin, Glucagon, Leptin) plus inflammatory markers provides a targeted NAFLD research panel.

Obesity & Adipokine Panel Service Details

Service Package

Item	Full Service	Kit Only
Sample Processing	Included. Inhibitor tubes provided if panel includes gut hormones.	— Self-run
Standard Curve	8-point, all panel analytes	Calibrators provided
QC Samples	3 levels, duplicate	— User-prepared
Quantitative Report	Full multi-analyte report with leptin:adiponectin ratio where applicable	— Self-analysis
Raw ECL Data	Included	— Instrument-dependent

For Research Use Only. Not for diagnostic procedures.

How to Get Started

Select Panel

Choose the obesity or adipokine panel that matches your research focus — metabolic proteins, metaflammation markers, or integrated energy balance hormones.

Collect & Ship

EDTA plasma or serum for adipokine panels. Inhibitor-stabilized plasma if the panel includes gut hormones. Dry ice shipping.

Receive Obesity Profile

Receive your quantitative report with adipokine concentrations, inflammatory markers, and derived ratios for metabolic phenotyping.

Electrochemiluminescence for Adipokine Detection — Platform Comparison

Feature	MSD	ELISA (×N)	Luminex xMAP
Leptin Dynamic Range	5 logs — covers 1–100,000 pg/mL without dilution	2–3 logs — may require dilution for obese samples	2–3 logs
Adiponectin Sensitivity	pg/mL — detects low levels in insulin-resistant states	ng/mL range typical	Variable
Sample Volume	25 µL for any plex level	100 µL × N analytes	25–50 µL
Multiplex	Up to 10 analytes — adipokines + inflammatory markers in one well	Single-analyte per well	Up to 50-plex
Matrix Interference	Minimal — no autofluorescence; relevant for lipemic samples	Variable	Moderate — fluorescence in lipemic plasma

Obesity & Adipokine Panel FAQ

Which matrix is recommended — serum or plasma — for adipokine measurement?

EDTA plasma is preferred for most adipokine panels. The clotting process in serum collection can release platelet-derived factors that affect certain adipokine measurements. For panels that include gut hormones (ghrelin, GLP-1, glucagon, PYY), protease inhibitor-stabilized plasma is required regardless of the matrix choice for adipokines. The Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1 (adiponectin, ApoA1, ApoC3, CRP, RBP4, SHBG, etc.) can be run on standard serum or EDTA plasma — consult during study design. The critical rule is matrix consistency: all samples in a study must use the same matrix type.

Why does leptin need such a wide dynamic range — and can MSD provide it?

Leptin concentrations span approximately three orders of magnitude: ~1–5 ng/mL in lean individuals, ~20–50 ng/mL in overweight, and >100 ng/mL in severe obesity. A standard ELISA with 2–3 log dynamic range cannot simultaneously quantify leptin in lean and obese samples without dilution — and dilution introduces pre-analytical variability. MSD's 4–5 log dynamic range accommodates this range in a single undiluted measurement. This is particularly important for cohort studies spanning a wide BMI range, where the same assay must perform accurately at both extremes.

How does the Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1 complement the gut hormone panels?

The Metabolic Protein 10-Plex Panel 1 (adiponectin, ApoA1, ApoC3, Clusterin, CRP, DPPIV, NGAL, RBP4, SHBG, sTfR-1) measures a fundamentally different dimension of metabolic health than the gut hormone panels. Where the gut hormone panels capture the dynamic, meal-responsive enteroinsular axis, Panel 1 captures the more stable metabolic protein profile — adipokines, apolipoproteins, binding proteins, and acute-phase reactants — that reflects longer-term metabolic state. The two panel types are complementary: gut hormones for dynamic metabolic challenge studies; metabolic proteins for cross-sectional phenotyping, risk stratification, and longitudinal monitoring of metabolic health. Researchers often run both on the same samples to capture both the acute hormonal and chronic protein dimensions of metabolic disease.

Are mouse and rat obesity panels available for preclinical studies?

Yes. Mouse Obesity 6-Plex and Mouse Adipokine 8-Plex provide obesity-focused configurations for rodent models. Rat Obesity 2-Plex, 5-Plex, and 6-Plex are also available. The Adipokine 8-Plex is particularly useful for diet-induced obesity (DIO) and genetic obesity models (ob/ob, db/db), combining metabolic hormones (insulin, leptin) with inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-10) and BDNF. For comprehensive mouse metabolic phenotyping, the Mouse Metabolic 58-Plex provides the broadest coverage. Contact us for species-specific panel recommendations based on your model system.

Are these panels validated for clinical diagnostic use?

No. All obesity and adipokine panels are manufacturer-validated for research use only (RUO). They are suitable for preclinical studies, cohort research, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development. They are not validated for clinical diagnostic procedures or patient management decisions.

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