Mechanisms of ADRF release from rat aortic adventitial adipose tissue

Alteration of perivascular adipose tissue function in angiotensin II-induced hypertension

We studied the role of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in the control of vascular function in an in vivo experimental model of hypertension produced by angiotensin II infusion by osmotic minipump in adult male Wistar rats. Two weeks after infusion with angiotensin II, blood pressure in treated rats was significantly elevated but heart rate was reduced compared with control rats infused with physiological saline. Contraction of aorta from the 2 groups of rats in response to phenylephrine or serotonin was significantly attenuated by the presence of PVAT in both the presence and absence of endothelium. This attenuation effect on contraction to phenylephrine was higher, however, in vessels from control rats than in vessels from hypertensive rats in the absence of endothelium. In the mesenteric resistance arteries, lumen diameter was larger in both hypertensive and control vessels with intact PVAT than in vessels with PVAT removed. The medial wall was thicker in arteries from hypertensive rats. The presence of PVAT potentiated the contraction induced by KCl in mesenteric arteries from control rats, but not in hypertensive rats. PVAT also attenuated the contraction of mesenteric arteries in response to phenylephrine or serotonin in both hypertensive and control groups. Mesenteric arteries from hypertensive rats were more responsive to stimulation by serotonin than those from control rats. We conclude that the increased blood pressure of Wistar rats that occurred after infusion with angiotensin II was associated with changes in the functions of PVAT in the aorta and mesenteric arteries and in the structure and function of resistance arteries.

Endothelium-dependent relaxation factor released by perivascular adipose tissue

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have demonstrated that perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) releases vascular relaxation factor(s), but the identity of this relaxation factor remains unknown. Here, we examined if angiotensin 1-7 [Ang-(1-7)] is one of the relaxation factors released by PVAT.

METHOD

Morphological and functional methods were used to study aorta from adult Wistar rats.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemical staining showed abundant presence of Ang-(1-7) in aortic PVAT. In vessels with PVAT removed but intact endothelium (PVAT - E+), contraction induced by phenylephrine was attenuated by preincubation with Ang-(1-7). PVAT - E+ vessels precontracted with phenylephrine showed a concentration-dependent relaxation response to Ang-(1-7), and this response was abolished by the removal of endothelium. Relaxation response induced by Ang-(1-7) was also prevented by Ang-(1-7) receptor (Mas) antagonist (A779), nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, and nitric oxide scavenger. Ang-(1-7) did not cause a relaxation response in aorta precontracted with KCl, and the relaxation response to Ang-(1-7) was also blocked by calcium-dependent potassium (K(Ca)) channel blockers. Incubation of PVAT + E+ vessels with A779 or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 inhibitor DX600 or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalaprilat increased the contraction induced by phenylephrine. Transfer of donor solution incubated with PVAT + E+ vessel to recipient PVAT - E+ vessel caused a relaxation response. This relaxation response was abolished when donor vessels were incubated with DX600 or enalaprilat or when recipient vessels were incubated with A779.

CONCLUSION

Ang-(1-7) released by PVAT acts on the endothelium to cause the release of nitric oxide, and nitric oxide acts as a hyperpolarizing factor through K(Ca) channels to cause relaxation of the blood vessel.

Periadventitial adipose tissue impairs coronary endothelial function via PKC-beta-dependent phosphorylation of nitric oxide synthase

Endogenous periadventitial adipose-derived factors have been shown to contribute to coronary vascular regulation by impairing endothelial function through a direct inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains uncertain. Accordingly, this study was designed to test the hypothesis that periadventitial adipose tissue releases agents that attenuate coronary endothelial nitric oxide production via a protein kinase C (PKC)-beta-dependent mechanism. Isometric tension studies were conducted on isolated canine circumflex coronary arteries with and without natural amounts of periadventitial adipose tissue. Adipose tissue significantly diminished coronary endothelial-dependent vasodilation and nitric oxide production in response to bradykinin and acetylcholine. The selective inhibition of endothelial PKC-beta with ruboxistaurin (1 microM) abolished the adipose-induced impairment of bradykinin-mediated coronary vasodilation and the endothelial production of nitric oxide. Western blot analysis revealed a significant increase in eNOS phosphorylation at the inhibitory residue Thr(495) in arteries exposed to periadventitial adipose tissue. This site-specific phosphorylation of eNOS was prevented by the inhibition of PKC-beta. These data demonstrate that periadventitial adipose-derived factors impair coronary endothelial nitric oxide production via a PKC-beta-dependent, site-specific phosphorylation of eNOS at Thr(495).

Local inflammation and hypoxia abolish the protective anticontractile properties of perivascular fat in obese patients

BACKGROUND

Inflammation in adipose tissue has been implicated in vascular dysfunction, but the local mechanisms by which this occurs are unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Small arteries with and without perivascular adipose tissue were taken from subcutaneous gluteal fat biopsy samples and studied with wire myography and immunohistochemistry. We established that healthy adipose tissue around human small arteries secretes factors that influence vasodilation by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability. However, in perivascular fat from obese subjects with metabolic syndrome (waist circumference 111+/-2.8 versus 91.1+/-3.5 cm in control subjects, P<0.001; insulin sensitivity 41+/-5.9% versus 121+/-18.6% in control subjects, P<0.001), the loss of this dilator effect was accompanied by an increase in adipocyte area (1786+/-346 versus 673+/-60 mum(2), P<0.01) and immunohistochemical evidence of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 12.4+/-1.1% versus 6.7+/-1%, P<0.001). Application of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor receptor-alpha and interleukin-6 to perivascular fat around healthy blood vessels reduced dilator activity, resulting in the obese phenotype. These effects could be reversed with free radical scavengers or cytokine antagonists. Similarly, induction of hypoxia stimulated inflammation and resulted in loss of anticontractile capacity, which could be rescued by catalase and superoxide dismutase or cytokine antagonists. Incubation with a soluble fragment of adiponectin type 1 receptor or inhibition of nitric oxide synthase blocked the vasodilator effect of healthy perivascular adipose tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that adipocytes secrete adiponectin and provide the first functional evidence that it is a physiological modulator of local vascular tone by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability. This capacity is lost in obesity by the development of adipocyte hypertrophy, leading to hypoxia, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Effects of hyperglycemia on the modulation of vascular function by perivascular adipose tissue

OBJECTIVE

To study the acute and chronic effect of hyperglycemia on perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) function in rat aorta.

METHOD

Alterations in PVAT function in rat aorta incubated with 22 mmol/l D-glucose for 30 min and in aorta from streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were studied.

RESULTS

Incubation with D-glucose caused an attenuation of contraction in response to phenylephrine, both in the presence and absence of endothelium, whereas removal of PVAT eliminated this attenuation effect. The presence of PVAT did not affect concentration-related relaxation response of the aorta to carbamylcholine in STZ rats. There was also no difference in the relaxation response of the aorta to carbamylcholine between STZ and control rats. The presence of PVAT, however, caused a higher attenuation of the concentration-dependent contraction to phenylephrine in aorta from STZ rats with intact endothelium as compared with that from control rats. Incubation of the aorta from control rats with Nomega-nitro-L-arginine or carboxy-2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetra-methyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide potentiated the contraction of the vessels to phenylephrine, and this potentiation effect was higher in the vessels from STZ rats than control rats when N-nitro-L-arginine was used. Removal of PVAT reduced this potentiation effect and eliminated the difference between the vessels from control and STZ rats.

CONCLUSION

Under both acute and chronic conditions, hyperglycemia enhanced the relaxation response of the vessels mediated by PVAT. These new findings provide important information on the mechanism underlying the postprandial effect of hyperglycemia on blood pressure control and the presence of hypotension under chronic hyperglycemia in a type-1 model of diabetes.

Endogenous adipose-derived factors diminish coronary endothelial function via inhibition of nitric oxide synthase

Adipocytokines may be the molecular link between obesity and vascular disease. However, the effects of these factors on coronary vascular function have not been discerned. Accordingly, the goal of this investigation was to delineate the mechanisms by which endogenous adipose-derived factors affect coronary vascular endothelial function. Both isolated canine coronary arteries and coronary blood flow in anesthetized dogs were studied with and without exposure to adipose tissue. Infusion of adipose-conditioned buffer directly into the coronary circulation did not change baseline hemodynamics; however, endothelial-dependent vasodilation to bradykinin was impaired both in vitro and in vivo. Coronary vasodilation to sodium nitroprusside was unaltered by adipose tissue. Oxygen radical formation did not cause the impairment because quantified dihydroethidium staining was decreased by adipose tissue and neither a superoxide dismutase mimetic nor catalase improved endothelial function. Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase with L-NAME diminished bradykinin-mediated relaxations and eliminated the subsequent vascular effects of adipose tissue. In vitro measurement of NO demonstrated that adipose tissue exposure quickly lowered baseline NO and abolished bradykinin-induced NO production. The results indicate that adipose tissue releases factor(s) that selectively impair endothelial-dependent dilation via inhibition of NO synthase-mediated NO production.

In vivo analysis of key elements within the renin regulatory region

Renin is responsible for initiating the enzymatic cascade that results in the production of angiotensin II, the major effector molecule of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Extensive information on the regulatory region of the renin gene has been derived by transient transfection studies in vitro, particularly using the As4.1 cell line. To verify key factors within the regulatory region of renin in vivo, homologous recombination was used to introduce a green fluorescent protein (GFP) cassette into exon one of the renin gene contained within a 240 kb bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to create a construct that has GFP expression controlled by the renin regulatory region (RenGFP BAC). Within the regulatory region of the RenGFP BAC construct we independently deleted the enhancer, as well as mutated the HOX-PBX site within the proximal promoter element. Transgenic lines were generated for each of these BAC constructs and GFP expression was analyzed throughout a spectrum of tissues positive for renin expression including the kidney, adrenal gland, gonadal artery, and submandibular gland. The results described within this manuscript support the interpretation that the renin enhancer is critical for regulating baseline expression where as the Hox/Pbx site is important for the tissue specificity of renin expression.

The association of pericardial fat with calcified coronary plaque

BACKGROUND

Pericardial fat has a higher secretion of inflammatory cytokines than subcutaneous fat. Cytokines released from pericardial fat around coronary arteries may act locally on the adjacent cells.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the relationship between pericardial fat and calcified coronary plaque.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Participants in the community-based Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan for the assessment of calcified coronary plaque in 2000/2002. We measured the volume of pericardial fat using these scans in 159 whites and blacks without symptomatic coronary heart disease from Forsyth County, NC, aged 55-74 years.

RESULTS

Calcified coronary plaque was observed in 91 participants (57%). After adjusting for height, a 1 s.d. increment in pericardial fat was associated with an increased odds of calcified coronary plaque (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.92 (1.27, 2.90)). With further adjustment of other cardiovascular factors, pericardial fat was still significantly associated with calcified coronary plaque. This relationship did not differ by gender and ethnicity. On the other hand, BMI and height-adjusted waist circumference were not associated with calcified coronary plaque.

DISCUSSION

Pericardial fat is independently associated with calcified coronary plaque.

Perivascular fat alters reactivity of coronary artery: effects of diet and exercise

Perivascular adipose tissue (PAT) has been reported to blunt agonist-induced arterial tone via a relaxing factor acting in a paracrine manner. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that PAT of porcine coronary artery blunts constriction similarly and that this anticontractile effect of PAT is altered by diet and/or exercise training.

METHODS

Fourteen adult male pigs were fed a normal-fat (NF) diet, and 10 adult male pigs were fed a high-fat/cholesterol (HF) diet. Four weeks after the initiation of diet, pigs were exercised (EX) or remained sedentary (SED) for 16 wk, yielding four groups: 1) NF-SED, 2) NF-EX, 3) HF-SED, and 4) HF-EX. Left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) rings were prepared with PAT left intact or removed. LCX reactivity to acetylcholine (ACh), endothelin (ET-1), bradykinin (BK), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was assessed in vitro using standard techniques.

RESULTS

The results demonstrate that both ACh and ET-1 elicited dose-dependent increases in tension from LCX rings from all groups. Removal of PAT had no significant effect on ACh-induced contractions in any group. In contrast, removal of PAT increased ET-1-induced tension in LCX from NF-SED, HF-SED, and HF-EX but not NF-EX. PAT had no significant effect on relaxation responses to BK except in HF-EX animals, where removal of PAT increased BK-induced relaxation. PAT removal decreased SNP-induced relaxation in HF-LCX, but not LCX from NF pigs, suggesting basal release of a relaxing factor LCX from HF pigs.

CONCLUSION

PAT blunts contractions induced by ET-1 in LCX from NF and HF pigs. Whereas EX abolished this effect of PAT in NF pigs, exercise did not alter the anticontractile effect in HF pigs.

Chorionic enhancer is dispensable for regulated expression of the human renin gene

We tested the hypothesis that a transcriptional chorionic enhancer (CE), previously identified to increase human renin expression in choriodecidual cells is required to mediate tissue-specific, cell-specific, and regulated expression of human renin in transgenic mice. Recombineering was used to delete the CE upstream of the renin gene alone or in combination with the kidney enhancer (KE) in a large artificial chromosome construct containing the entire human renin gene and extensive flanking sequences. Deletion of the CE had no qualitative or quantitative effect on the tissue-specific expression of human renin, nor on the cellular localization of human renin in the kidney or placenta. Combined deletion of both the CE and KE caused a decrease in the level of renal renin expression consistent with the established role of the KE. We also considered the possibility that the CE is a downstream enhancer of the KiSS1 gene, which lies directly upstream of renin and is also expressed in the placenta. Deletion of the CE alone, or the CE and KE together, had no effect on the level of KiSS1 expression in the placenta. These data provide convincing evidence that the CE is silent in vivo, at least in the mouse. The absence of a phenotype caused by deletion of the CE is consistent with the observation that the sequence is not evolutionarily conserved.

Hypertonic and isotonic potassium solutions have different effects on vessel contractility resulting in differences in optimal resting tension in rat aorta

AIM

To compare high K(+ )-induced contraction and optimal resting tension measured by two commonly used techniques of hypertonic and isotonic K(+ ) in aortas with and without adventitial fat from various age rats.

METHODS

Three age groups of rats (15, 25, and 62 weeks) were used to prepare thoracic aortic rings in which adventitial fat was either removed or left intact. High K(+ ) (30 mmol/L)-induced contractions were observed under increasing resting tensions of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 g. Optimal resting tension was the resting tension at which the aorta showed a maximal contraction.

RESULTS

The contractions induced by 2 kinds of high K(+ ) were significantly different. Hypertonic and isotonic K(+ ) induced a different style of contraction, and the pattern varied with different ages. At the age of 15 weeks, isotonic K(+ )-induced contractions were greater than hypertonic K+-induced contractions. However, at the age of 62 weeks, isotonic K(+ )-induced contractions were smaller than hypertonic K(+ )-induced contractions. Optimal resting tensions measured by 2 kinds of high K(+ ) were inconsistent. Optimal resting tensions in different kinds of aortic preparations from various age rats were almost a constant of 2 g, determined by isotonic K(+ ), but a variable, determined by hypertonic K(+ ). The adventitial fat could delay the development of high K(+ )-induced contractions at different resting tensions, but had little effect on the maximal contractions.

CONCLUSION

Hypertonic and isotonic K(+ ) may produce different contractions resulting in differences in optimal resting tension in rat aorta.

Modulation of vascular function by perivascular adipose tissue: the role of endothelium and hydrogen peroxide

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) attenuates vascular contraction, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. The possible involvement of endothelium (E) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was investigated.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Aortic rings from Wistar rats were prepared with both PVAT and E intact (PVAT+ E+), with either PVAT or E removed (PVAT- E+, or PVAT+ E-), or with both removed (PVAT- E-) for functional studies. Nitric oxide (NO) production was measured.

KEY RESULTS

Contraction to phenylephrine and 5-HT respectively was highest in PVAT- E-, lowest in PVAT+ E+, and intermediate in PVAT+ E- or PVAT- E+. In bioassay experiments, transferring bathing solution incubated with a PVAT+ ring (donor) to a PVAT- ring (recipient) induced relaxation in the recipient. This relaxation was abolished by E removal, NO synthase inhibition, scavenging of NO, high extracellular K+, or blockade of calcium-dependent K+ channels (K(Ca)). The solution stimulated NO production in isolated endothelial cells and in PVAT- E+ rings. In E- rings, the contraction to phenylephrine of PVAT+ rings but not PVAT- rings was enhanced by catalase or soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor, but reduced by superoxide dismutase and tiron. In PVAT- E- rings, H2O2 attenuated phenylephrine-induced contraction. This effect was counteracted by sGC inhibition. NO donor and H2O2 exhibited additive inhibition of the contraction to phenylephrine in PVAT- E- rings.

CONCLUSION

PVAT exerts its anti-contractile effects through two distinct mechanisms: (1) by releasing a transferable relaxing factor which induces endothelium-dependent relaxation through NO release and subsequent K(Ca) channel activation, and (2) by an endothelium-independent mechanism involving H2O2 and subsequent activation of sGC.

Influence of tangential stress on mechanical responses to vasoactive agents in human saphenous vein with and without perivascular adipose tissue

AIM

Improvement in short-term patency of vein grafts harvested with the surrounding tissue and no distention has been noted. The influence of transient tangential stress on mechanical function to vasoactive agents in isolated human saphenous veins stripped or with attached perivascular adipose tissue was assessed.

METHODS

Concentration-response curves to noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine, methylcholine, sodium nitroprusside and nicardipine were constructed for veins exposed to no, low (approximately 120 mmHg) or high (approximately 240 mmHg) tangential stress.

RESULTS

Tangential stress did not affect contractile effects of noradrenaline or relaxant effects of methylcholine and sodium nitroprusside. Regression analysis of the concentration-response curve to 5-hydroxytryptamine revealed a significant (P=0.042) increase in sensitivity in saphenous veins without perivascular adipose tissue exposed to no tangential stress, compared with veins with attached adipose tissue. Exposure to high stress significantly (P=0.024) increased the potency of 5-hydroxytryptamine in blood vessels without perivascular adipose tissue, as opposed to veins with adipose tissue. Relaxant responses to nicardipine in veins with perivascular adipose tissue were significantly (P=0.001) affected by exposure to low tangential stress compared with no or high tangential stress. A parallel comparison revealed that intact veins compared with those without perivascular adipose tissue exposed to low stress were significantly (P=0.020) more resistant to the relaxant effects of nicardipine.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present report support the view that tangential stress has an impact on the actions of vasoactive agents, but this influence is variable and factor(s) released from perivascular adipose tissue may have a bearing on the observed effect.

Perivascular adipose tissue and mesenteric vascular function in spontaneously hypertensive rats

OBJECTIVE

Perivascular adipose tissue of normotensive rats releases a transferable factor that induces relaxation by opening voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels. The relevance of these observations to hypertension is unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We characterized mesenteric perivascular adipose tissue from 3-month-old Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and aged-matched spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Mesenteric bed (MB) weight and MB total lipid content were lower in SHR than in WKY. Freshly isolated MB adipocytes were smaller in SHR. Plasma triglycerides, glycerol, nonesterified free-fatty acids, and cholesterol were also lower in SHR. Plasma and mesenteric leptin were correlated with the quantity of mesenteric fat. To study vascular function, the MB was cannulated and perfused at a constant 2 mL/min flow. The Kv channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 2 mmol/L) increased perfusion pressure less in SHR MB than WKY and was directly correlated with the mesenteric fat amount. In isolated mesenteric artery rings, 4-AP (2 mmol/L) induced a contractile effect that was attenuated in SHR compared with WKY. The anticontractile effects of perivascular fat were reduced in SHR mesenteric artery rings compared with WKY.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in visceral perivascular adipose tissue mass and function may contribute to the increased vascular resistance observed in SHR.

Perivascular adipose tissue modulates vascular function in the human internal thoracic artery

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have shown that perivascular adipose tissue from the rat aorta secretes a substance that can dilate the aorta. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether this vasodilator is also present in human internal thoracic arteries.

METHODS

Vascular function of human internal thoracic arteries with and without perivascular adipose tissue was assessed with wire myography, and morphology was examined with light microscopy.

RESULTS

The presence of perivascular adipose tissue attenuated the maximal contraction to U 46619 and the contraction to phenylephrine (1 micromol/L) by 37% and 24%, respectively. Transfer of the solution incubated with a perivascular adipose tissue-intact vessel (donor) to a vessel without perivascular adipose tissue (recipient) induced a significant relaxation (36%) in the recipient artery precontracted with phenylephrine. Transfer of incubation solution with perivascular adipose tissue alone also induced a relaxation response in the recipient vessel (37%). The relaxation of the recipient artery induced by the transfer of incubation solution from the donor (artery with intact perivascular adipose tissue or perivascular adipose tissue alone) was absent in vessels precontracted by KCl (60 mmol/L) and was prevented by calcium-dependent potassium channel blockers (tetraethylammonium chloride, 1 mmol/L; iberiotoxin, 100 nmol/L), but not by the voltage-dependent potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (1 mmol/L) and the adenosine triphosphate-dependent potassium channel blocker glibenclamide (10 micromol/L).

CONCLUSIONS

Perivascular adipose tissue in human internal thoracic arteries releases a transferable relaxation factor that acts through the activation of calcium-dependent potassium channels. Because perivascular adipose tissue is often removed in coronary artery bypass grafting, retaining perivascular adipose tissue might be helpful in reducing the occurrence of vasospasm of the graft vessels.

Calcium inhibits renin gene expression by transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cytosolic calcium for renin gene expression in juxtaglomerular cells. For this purpose, we used the immortalized juxtaglomerular mouse cell line As4.1. To increase cytosolic calcium concentration, we treated the cells with thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid, inhibitors of the endoplasmatic reticulum Ca- ATPase. Thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid inhibited renin gene expression in a characteristic time and concentration-dependent manner. This effect was concentration-dependently blocked by BAPTA-AM, an intracellular Ca2+ chelator. Pharmacological blocking of protein kinase C activity by calphostin, Gö6976, and Gö6983 did not change the effect of thapsigargin on renin gene expression. Experiments with renin1C-promoter-reporter constructs revealed that thapsigargin inhibited renin gene transcription. Analysis of deletion constructs of the renin1C promoter indicated that regulatory elements involved in the calcium-mediated inhibition of renin gene transcription are located in the enhancer region of the renin gene and that > or =3 transcription factor-binding sites are involved in this process. In addition, thapsigargin reduced the renin mRNA half-life from 10 hours (control conditions) to 4 hours. Knockdown studies with small interfering RNA directed to dynamin-1 mRNA revealed that dynamin-1 is likely to be involved in the calcium-mediated destabilization of renin mRNA. These data suggest that calcium inhibits renin gene expression in juxtaglomerular cells via a concerted action of inhibition of renin gene transcription and destabilization of renin mRNA.

Role of macrophage tissue infiltration in metabolic diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

White adipose tissue is necessary for optimal energy homeostasis and the excessive development of fat mass is clearly associated with the metabolic syndrome. The fact that adipocytes secrete a number of specific factors or 'adipokines' has forced a reassessment of the involvement of adipose tissue in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Obesity has recently been described as a 'low-grade' inflammatory condition, a state proposed to represent a common determinator in the genesis of obesity-associated pathologies, i.e. diabetes and atherosclerosis.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent reports of an increase in the number of macrophages that infiltrate the fat mass in obese individuals led to the suggestion that adipose tissue itself is a source and site of inflammation.

SUMMARY

This review summarizes recent data on the characterization of the macrophage population in fat tissue. Their origin, fate and activation will be considered. The potential involvement of adipose tissue macrophages in the development of insulin resistance and vascular pathologies, as well as in the control of adipose tissue growth and metabolism, will be examined.

Transcriptional Regulation of Renin

Renin, as a component of the renin-angiotensin system, plays important roles in the regulation of blood pressure, electrolyte homeostasis, and mammalian renal development. Transcription of renin genes is subject to complex developmental and tissue-specific regulation. Progress has been made recently in elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in renin gene expression. Using mouse As4.1 cells, which have many features characteristic of the renin-expressing juxtaglomerular cells of kidney, a proximal promoter region (−197 to −50 bp) and an enhancer (−2866 to −2625 bp) have been identified in the mouse renin gene, Ren-1 c , that are critical for its expression. The proximal promoter region contains at least 7 transcription factor-binding sites, including a binding site for the products of Hox , developmental control genes. The enhancer consists of at least 11 transcription factor-binding sites and is responsive to various signal transduction pathways, including cAMP, retinoic acid, endothelin-1, and cytokines, to alter renin mRNA levels. Sequence highly homologous to the mouse enhancer is also found in the human and rat renin genes. How these regulatory regions function in vivo will be the focus of future study.

Endothelial cell dysfunction and the vascular complications associated with type 2 diabetes: assessing the health of the endothelium

Diabetes-associated vascular complications are collectively the major clinical problems facing patients with diabetes and lead to the considerably higher mortality rate than that of the general population. People with diabetes have a much higher incidence of coronary artery disease as well as peripheral vascular diseases in part because of accelerated atherogenesis. Despite the introduction of new therapies, it has not been possible to effectively reduce the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes. Of additional concern is the recognition by the World Health Organization that we are facing a global epidemic of type 2 diabetes. Endothelial dysfunction is an early indicator of cardiovascular disease, including that seen in type 2 diabetes. A healthy endothelium, as defined in terms of the vasodilator/blood flow response to an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, is an important indicator of cardiovascular health and, therefore, a goal for corrective interventions. In this review we explore the cellular basis for endothelial dysfunction in an attempt to identify appropriate new targets and strategies for the treatment of diabetes. In addition, we consider the question of biomarkers for vascular disease and evaluate their usefulness for the early detection of and their role as contributors to vascular dysfunction.

Paracrine role for periadventitial adipose tissue in the regulation of arterial tone

Recent studies propose a paracrine role for periadventitial adipose tissue in the regulation of vascular tone. This regulation depends on the anatomical integrity of the periadventitial adipose tissue and involves adipocyte-derived relaxing factor (ADRF). Although the nature of ADRF is largely unknown, it is released by periadventitial adipocytes and induces vasorelaxation by opening K+ channels in the plasma membrane of smooth muscle cells. Alterations in the paracrine role of periadventitial adipose tissue might have a role in vascular dysfunction in hypertension and metabolic disease. Therefore, understanding alterations in ADRF release and the K+ channels involved will help further our understanding of the increased cardiovascular risk and development of chronic vascular disease in obesity. Furthermore, ADRF and perhaps its putative targets might represent exciting new targets for the development of drugs to treat cardiovascular disorders.

Endothelium-derived 2-arachidonylglycerol: an intermediate in vasodilatory eicosanoid release in bovine coronary arteries

Acetylcholine stimulates the release of endothelium-derived arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites including prostacyclin and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which relax coronary arteries. However, mechanisms of endothelial cell (EC) AA activation remain undefined. We propose that 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) plays an important role in this pathway. An AA metabolite isolated from bovine coronary ECs was identified as 2-AG by mass spectrometry. In ECs pretreated with the fatty acid amidohydrolase inhibitor diazomethylarachidonyl ketone (DAK; 20 micromol/l), methacholine (10 micromol/l)-stimulated 2-AG release was blocked by the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122 (10 micromol/l) or the diacylglycerol lipase inhibitor RHC-80267 (40 micromol/l). In U-46619-preconstricted bovine coronary arterial rings, 2-AG relaxations averaging 100% at 10 micromol/l were inhibited by endothelium removal, by DAK, by the hydrolase inhibitor methyl arachidonylfluorophosphate (10 micromol/l), by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (10 micromol/l), but not by the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR-141716 (1 micromol/l). The cytochrome P-450 inhibitor SKF-525a (10 micromol/l) and the 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5Z-enoic acid EET antagonist (14,15-EEZE; 10 micromol/l) further attenuated the indomethacin-resistant relaxations. The nonhydrolyzable 2-AG analogs noladin ether, 2-AG amide, and 14,15-EET glycerol amide did not induce relaxation. N-nitro-L-arginine-resistant relaxations to methacholine were also inhibited by U-73122, RHC-80267, and DAK. 14,15-EET glycerol ester increased opening of large-conductance K(+) channels 12-fold in cell-attached patches of isolated smooth muscle cells and induced relaxations averaging 95%. These results suggest that methacholine stimulates EC 2-AG production through phospholipase C and diacylglycerol lipase activation. 2-AG is further hydrolyzed to AA, which is metabolized to vasoactive eicosanoids. These studies reveal a role for 2-AG in EC AA release and the regulation of coronary tone.

Enhancer-dependent inhibition of mouse renin transcription by inflammatory cytokines

Inflammatory cytokines have been shown to inhibit renin gene expression in the kidney in vivo and the kidney tumor-derived As4.1 cell line. In this report, we show that cytokines oncostatin M (OSM), IL-6, and IL-1beta inhibit transcriptional activity associated with 4.1 kb of the mouse renin 5'-flanking sequence in As4.1 cells. The 242-bp enhancer (-2866 to -2625 bp) is sufficient to mediate the observed inhibitory effects. Sequences within the enhancer required for inhibition by each of these cytokines have been determined by deletional and mutational analysis. Results indicate that a 39-bp region (CEC) containing a cAMP-responsive element, an E-box, and a steroid receptor-binding site, previously identified as the most critical elements for enhancer activity, is sufficient for the inhibition induced by IL-1beta. However, mutation of each of the three component sites does not abolish the inhibition by IL-1beta, suggesting that the target(s) of cytokine action may not be the transcription factors binding directly to these sites. This CEC region is also critical, but not sufficient, for the inhibition mediated by OSM and IL-6. These data suggest that the direct target of the associated cytokines may be coactivators interacting with transcription factors binding at the enhancer. Finally, we show that OSM treatment caused a 17-fold increase in promoter activity when only 2,625 bp of the Ren-1(c) flanking sequence were tested, in which the enhancer is not present. Three regions including -2625 to -1217 bp, the HOX.PBX binding site at -60 bp, and -59 to +6 bp have been found to contribute to this induction.