ADIPOQ and rheumatoid arthritis: In particular, in vitro studies have shown that when stimulated with adiponectin, RA synovial fibroblasts secreted increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, as well as various chemokines.[5] Our findings extend these reports by suggesting that autoimmunity, even in the absence of clinical RA, modifies adiponectin’s associations with inflammatory markers and potentially its actions on effector cells.