engleski

Adipocytokines and inflammation as a link between obesity and related endothelial dysfunction

Obesity is characterized by a chronic low grade pro-inflammatory state that causes pathological alterations of adipocytes development. Adipocytokines fulfill their actions via different signaling pathways and their effects may be beneficial and/or detrimental to endothelium function. For example, adiponectin is the only adipokine that exhibits both anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties, and is shown to be protective against cardiovascular diseases. In addition, it has the ability to directly stimulate the production of NO in endothelial cells, and also reduces oxidative stress. In contrast to the dramatic increase in plasma levels of several adipokines observed in visceral adiposity, the plasma levels of adiponectin are markedly reduced. Leptin, resistin, TNFa and IL-6 has been directly or indirectly, by increasing endothelin-1 and angiotensin II production, implicated in increasedreactive oxygen species production, contributing to endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and atherosclerosis.Some studies suggest that adipocytokines levels may be independent predictors of endothelial dysfunction in apparently healthy subjects, providing a pathophysiological link between adipose tissue inflammation and early vascular alteration. Elevated abdominal visceral fat is associated with development of endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases, independently of total body adiposity. Resistance arteries of obese rats exhibit impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation, similar to resistance arteries in obese patients that we found, suggesting that visceral obesity may be associated with elevated peripheral vascular resistance maintaining hypertension in part of obese patients. Subcutaneous adipose tissue is regarded as less metabolically active than visceral adipose tissue, and these two depots of adipose tissue show functional differences ; among others visceral adipose tissue contains a greater number of macrophages and monocytes than subcutaneous. Although visceral adipose tissue has the greatest impact as a cardiovascular risk factor, the metabolic role of endothelial function in visceral and subcutaneous fat has should be more elucidate.

Endothelium; Obesity; Adipocytokines

nije evidentirano