Zhang Hanrui, Cui Jian, Zhang Cuihua
Hanrui Zhang, Jian Cui, Cuihua Zhang, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology and Nutritional Sciences, Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States.
World J Cardiol. 2010 Nov 26;2(11):370-6. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v2.i11.370.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a major health problem around the world. Obesity is a primary risk factor for atherosclerosis and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. However, the precise molecular pathways underlying this close association remain poorly understood. Adipokines are cytokines, chemokines and hormones secreted by adipose tissue that couple the regulation of lipid accumulation, inflammation, and atherogenesis, and therefore serve to link obesity with cardiovascular disorders. Obesity-related disorders including metabolic syndrome, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are associated with dysregulated adipokine(s) expression. Recent studies demonstrate the proinflammatory effects as well as atherogenic properties of adipokines. Adipokines also participate in the regulation of endothelial function, which is an early event in atherosclerosis. By contrast, adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic and vascular protective effects. Furthermore, there is an interactive association among adipokines, by which adipokines reciprocally regulate each other's expression. Understanding this interplay may reveal plausible mechanisms for treating atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease by modulating adipokine(s) expression. In this review, we discuss insights into the role and the therapeutic potential of adipokines as mediators of atherosclerosis.
动脉粥样硬化性心血管疾病是全球主要的健康问题。肥胖是动脉粥样硬化的主要危险因素，与心血管疾病发病率和死亡率的增加相关。然而，这种紧密关联背后的确切分子途径仍知之甚少。脂肪因子是由脂肪组织分泌的细胞因子、趋化因子和激素，它们将脂质积累、炎症和动脉粥样硬化的调节联系起来，因此起到将肥胖与心血管疾病联系起来的作用。包括代谢综合征、糖尿病、动脉粥样硬化、高血压和冠状动脉疾病在内的肥胖相关疾病与脂肪因子表达失调有关。最近的研究表明了脂肪因子的促炎作用以及致动脉粥样硬化特性。脂肪因子还参与内皮功能的调节，而内皮功能是动脉粥样硬化的早期事件。相比之下，脂联素这种脂肪细胞衍生的激素具有抗炎、抗动脉粥样硬化和血管保护作用。此外，脂肪因子之间存在相互作用关系，通过这种关系脂肪因子相互调节彼此的表达。了解这种相互作用可能会揭示通过调节脂肪因子表达来治疗动脉粥样硬化和冠心病的合理机制。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了对脂肪因子作为动脉粥样硬化介质的作用和治疗潜力的见解。
