Yoo Hye Jin, Choi Kyung Mook
Hye Jin Yoo, Kyung Mook Choi, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicnie, Korea University, Seoul 152-050, South Korea.
World J Diabetes. 2014 Jun 15;5(3):357-63. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v5.i3.357.
The traditional perception of adipose tissue as a storage organ of fatty acids has been replaced by the notion that adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ, releasing various adipokines that are involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic disturbances. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis, and accelerates atherosclerosis by many mechanisms such as increase in blood pressure and glucose level, abnormal lipid profiles, and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, growing evidence suggests that some adipokines directly mediate the process of atherosclerosis by influencing the function of endothelial cells, arterial smooth muscle cells, and macrophages in vessel walls. In obese patients, the secretion and coordination of such adipokines is abnormal, and the secretion of specific adipokines increases or decreases. Accordingly, the discovery of new adipokines and elucidation of their functions might lead to a new treatment strategy for metabolic disorders related to obesity, including cardiovascular diseases.
传统观念认为脂肪组织是脂肪酸的储存器官，如今这一观念已被另一种观念所取代，即脂肪组织是一个活跃的内分泌器官，可释放多种脂肪因子，这些脂肪因子参与肥胖相关代谢紊乱的发病机制。肥胖是动脉粥样硬化的一个众所周知的危险因素，它通过多种机制加速动脉粥样硬化，如血压和血糖水平升高、血脂异常以及全身炎症。此外，越来越多的证据表明，一些脂肪因子通过影响血管壁内皮细胞、动脉平滑肌细胞和巨噬细胞的功能，直接介导动脉粥样硬化的进程。在肥胖患者中，这些脂肪因子的分泌和协同作用是异常的，特定脂肪因子的分泌会增加或减少。因此，发现新的脂肪因子并阐明其功能可能会为与肥胖相关的代谢紊乱，包括心血管疾病，带来新的治疗策略。
