We showed above that the expression of adiponectin
was substantially upregulated by topical capsaicin treatment. Since
plasma adiponectin level is reduced in obesity (5), our findings sug-gest that the reduced visceral fat accumulation resulting from topical
application of capsaicin leads to adiponectin secretion from the vis-ceral adipose tissue. It also remains possible that topical application
of capsaicin increases energy metabolism via the sensory-central
sympathetic nerve axis and suppresses the accumulation of visceral
fat, as does oral administration of the transient receptor potential
vanilloid I