Perivascular adipose tissue: epiphenomenon or local risk factor?

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Metabolic Disease Research
• Adipose Tissue Biology

Background:

• Obesity is linked to increased cardiovascular risk, with mechanisms not fully understood.
• Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is an active component of the vessel wall, influencing vascular homeostasis.
• PVAT can adopt detrimental properties in obesity, contributing to cardiovascular disease pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the literature on the connections between perivascular fat alterations and cardiovascular pathologies.
• To emphasize clinical and experimental evidence on PVAT's role in vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis.
• To highlight genetic and molecular mediators and the impact of risk factors and interventions on PVAT.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent clinical and experimental (rodent models) literature.
• Analysis of associations between PVAT mass/morphology and obesity/cardiometabolic risk factors.
• Examination of genome-wide, miRNome, and proteome-wide expression analyses in human and murine models.

Main Results:

• Perivascular fat alterations are directly linked to vascular dysfunction, neointima formation, and atherosclerosis.
• Obesity, age, and diabetes negatively impact PVAT, while weight loss and exercise show preventive effects.
• Identification of potential molecular mediators involved in PVAT's paracrine activities.

Conclusions:

• Understanding perivascular adipose tissue's properties and regulation is crucial for cardiovascular health.
• PVAT alterations contribute significantly to obesity-related cardiovascular disease.
• Further research into PVAT may lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular conditions.