LEP and metabolic syndrome: Some adipokines released by adipose tissue play a prominent role in the pathophysiology of MetS, including peptides (e.g., plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI-1], angiotensin-converting enzyme), hormones (e.g., leptin) and inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, monocyte chemotactic protein [MCP-1] and chemerin) (Bernberg et al., 2012).