Among the multitude of adipokines, this paper focuses on adiponectin, leptin, resistin, visfatin, chemerin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), Interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, plasminogen-aktivator-inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP-4) as adipokines with particular emphasis on their influence on severe sepsis and on sepsis-related insulin resistance. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and Insulin resistance.