Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Oct 15;303(8):E937-49. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00061.2012. Epub 2012 Aug 14.
Epicardial and perivascular fat depot size is considered an index of cardiac and visceral obesity. The functional and anatomic proximity of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) to myocardium has drawn increasing attention in recent years among researchers attempting to elucidate its putative role as an endocrine organ. This includes the role of EAT as a lipid storing depot and as an inflammatory tissue secreting cytokines and chemokines under pathogenic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge regarding the potential EAT mediators of inflammation and the paracrine cross-talk between EAT and the underlying myocardium. We also highlight the most recent findings on the causes and correlates of myocardial steatosis/cardiac lipotoxicity and its association with cardiac dysfunction.
心外膜和血管周围脂肪沉积大小被认为是心脏和内脏肥胖的一个指标。近年来，研究人员越来越关注心外膜脂肪组织 (EAT) 作为内分泌器官的潜在作用，其在心外膜脂肪组织 (EAT) 的功能和解剖学上与心肌的接近程度。这包括 EAT 作为脂质储存库的作用，以及在心血管疾病等病理条件下作为炎症组织分泌细胞因子和趋化因子的作用。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了关于 EAT 炎症潜在介质的最新知识，以及 EAT 与下面的心肌之间的旁分泌串扰。我们还强调了心肌脂肪变性/心脏脂肪毒性的原因和相关性及其与心脏功能障碍的关联的最新发现。
