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Isolation, Characterization, and Purification of Macrophages from Tissues Affected by Obesity-related Inflammation
Published on: April 3, 2017
Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: The Emerging Role of Inflammation
Rana Khafagy1,2,3, Satya Dash2,3
1Department of Pharmacy, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Insights
Obesity increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, with inflammation playing a key role. Targeting inflammation may reduce CVD, but current anti-inflammatory treatments have limitations, necessitating further research.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Metabolic Disease Research
- Inflammation Biology
Background:
- Obesity is a global health issue linked to increased morbidity and mortality, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Traditional CVD risk factor management leaves substantial residual risk in obese individuals.
- Obesity is associated with chronic adipose tissue and systemic inflammation, a known contributor to CVD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the etiology and pathogenesis of inflammation in obesity-associated metabolic disease and CVD.
- To evaluate the causal role of inflammation in CVD using human genetic and pharmacological studies.
- To explore the potential of anti-inflammatory strategies for reducing CVD in obese populations.
Main Methods:
- Review of animal and human data on obesity, inflammation, and CVD.
- Analysis of human genetic studies to assess causal associations.
- Examination of pharmacological studies on anti-inflammatory treatments for CVD.
- Assessment of ongoing clinical trials evaluating anti-inflammatory agents.
Main Results:
- Obesity is strongly linked to inflammation, which contributes to CVD.
- Anti-inflammatory treatments show potential for CVD reduction but face challenges with off-target effects like increased infection.
- The efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapies for improving glycemic and metabolic parameters is not well-established.
Conclusions:
- Inflammation is a critical factor in obesity-related CVD, offering a potential therapeutic target.
- Current anti-inflammatory strategies require refinement to overcome safety concerns and broaden application.
- Ongoing clinical trials are crucial for determining the safety and efficacy of anti-inflammatory agents in reducing CVD in obese individuals.
Abstract:
Obesity is a growing public health challenge across the globe. It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for people with obesity. Current strategies to reduce CVD are largely focused on addressing traditional risk factors such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension. Although this approach is proven to reduce CVD, substantial residual risk remains for people with obesity. This necessitates a better understanding of the etiology of CVD in people with obesity and alternate therapeutic approaches. Reducing inflammation may be one such strategy. A wealth of animal and human data indicates that obesity is associated with adipose tissue and systemic inflammation. Inflammation is a known contributor to CVD in humans and can be successfully targeted to reduce CVD. Here we will review the etiology and pathogenesis of inflammation in obesity associated metabolic disease as well as CVD. We will review to what extent these associations are causal based on human genetic studies and pharmacological studies. The available data suggests that anti-inflammatory treatments can be used to reduce CVD, but off-target effects such as increased infection have precluded its broad therapeutic application to date. The role of anti-inflammatory therapies in improving glycaemia and metabolic parameters is less established. A number of clinical trials are currently ongoing which are evaluating anti-inflammatory agents to lower CVD. These studies will further clarify whether anti-inflammatory agents can safely reduce CVD.
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