Liberale Luca, Bonaventura Aldo, Vecchiè Alessandra, Casula Matteo, Dallegri Franco, Montecucco Fabrizio, Carbone Federico
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, 6 Viale Benedetto XV, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
First Clinic of Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa and IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, 10 Largo Benzi, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2017 Feb;19(2):10. doi: 10.1007/s11883-017-0644-3.
The aim of this review is to overview the pathophysiological role of adipocytokines in atherogenesis, focusing on their potential role as biomarkers of coronary disease.
Several lines of evidence indicated adipose tissue not only as depot but rather as an endocrine organ. In this context, the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory adipocytokines has been shown to critically regulate vascular homeostasis in both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Overweight and obesity are characterized by dysfunctional adipose tissue and then the prevalence of pro-inflammatory mediators, with a detrimental effect on vascular health. As opposite to adiponectin, pro-inflammatory adipocytokines, such as leptin and resistin, promote endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory processes involved in atherosclerotic plaque progression and vulnerability. Therefore, many adipocytokines have been investigated as potential biomarkers of cardiovascular (CV) risk, but their role has not yet been clearly established. Furthermore, the perivascular adipose tissue recently emerged as a critical modulator of atherosclerotic processes, due to the close interaction with the underlying vascular tissue. The ongoing discovery of new adipocytokines and the complex pathophysiological role of the different adipose tissue depots strongly contribute to define the complexity of adipocytokines network. Understanding those complex interactions may allow determining new potential biomarkers of CV risk and potential therapeutic targets.
本综述旨在概述脂肪细胞因子在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中的病理生理作用，重点关注其作为冠心病生物标志物的潜在作用。
多项证据表明，脂肪组织不仅是一个储存库，更是一个内分泌器官。在这种情况下，促炎和抗炎脂肪细胞因子之间的平衡已被证明在生理和病理生理条件下对血管稳态起着关键调节作用。超重和肥胖的特征是脂肪组织功能失调，进而导致促炎介质的普遍存在，对血管健康产生不利影响。与脂联素相反，促炎脂肪细胞因子，如瘦素和抵抗素，会促进内皮功能障碍以及参与动脉粥样硬化斑块进展和易损性的炎症过程。因此，许多脂肪细胞因子已被研究作为心血管（CV）风险的潜在生物标志物，但其作用尚未明确确立。此外，由于与下层血管组织的密切相互作用，血管周围脂肪组织最近成为动脉粥样硬化过程的关键调节因子。新脂肪细胞因子的不断发现以及不同脂肪组织储存库复杂的病理生理作用，有力地促成了脂肪细胞因子网络复杂性的界定。了解这些复杂的相互作用可能有助于确定心血管风险的新潜在生物标志物和潜在治疗靶点。
