Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy.
J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2013 Mar;8(1):212-26. doi: 10.1007/s11481-012-9432-6. Epub 2013 Jan 18.
Obesity is now growing at an alarming rate reaching epidemic proportions worldwide thus increasing morbidity and mortality rates for chronic disease. But although we have ample information on the complications associated with obesity, precisely what causes obesity remains poorly understood. Some evidence attributes a major role to a low-grade chronic inflammatory state (neurogenic inflammation) induced in obesity by inflammatory mediators produced and secreted within the expanded activated adipocyte pool. Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that secretes numerous adipose tissue-specific or enriched hormones, known as adipokines, cytokine-like molecules thought to play a pathogenic role in cardiovascular diseases. The imbalance between increased inflammatory stimuli and decreased anti-inflammatory mechanisms may depend on chronic stress. Hence the positive correlation found between stress, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The chronic inflammatory state associated with insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction is highly deleterious for vascular function. This review focuses on the proposed neuroimmunodulatory mechanisms linking chronic (psychological) stress, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
肥胖症现在正以惊人的速度增长，在全球范围内达到流行程度，因此导致慢性病的发病率和死亡率上升。但是，尽管我们有大量与肥胖相关的并发症信息，但肥胖的确切原因仍知之甚少。有证据表明，肥胖症中由炎症介质在扩张的活化脂肪细胞库中产生和分泌引起的低度慢性炎症状态（神经源性炎症）起主要作用。脂肪组织是一种内分泌器官，它分泌许多脂肪组织特异性或富含的激素，称为脂肪因子，这些细胞因子样分子被认为在心血管疾病中起致病作用。炎症刺激增加和抗炎机制减少之间的失衡可能取决于慢性应激。因此，在压力、肥胖和心血管疾病之间发现了正相关关系。与胰岛素抵抗和内皮功能障碍相关的慢性炎症状态对血管功能有很大的危害性。这篇综述重点介绍了将慢性（心理）应激、肥胖和心血管疾病联系起来的拟议神经免疫调节机制。
