Adipocyte-derived chemerin rescues lipid overload-induced cardiac dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Metabolic Syndrome Research
• Adipokine Signaling

Background:

• Chemerin, an adipocyte-secreted protein, is implicated in metabolic syndrome and cardiac function.
• Obesity and diabetes mellitus are associated with altered chemerin levels and cardiac health.
• The specific role of chemerin in high-fat diet-induced cardiac dysfunction requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of adipokine chemerin in high-fat diet-induced cardiac dysfunction.
• To determine the effects of chemerin deficiency on lipid metabolism, inflammation, and cardiac function.
• To explore the potential cardioprotective effects of chemerin in obesity-related cardiomyopathy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized chemerin (Rarres2) knockout mice fed normal or high-fat diets for 20 weeks.
• Assessed metabolic substrate flexibility, cardiac function, lipotoxicity, insulin resistance, and inflammation.
• Employed an in vitro model of lipid-overload cardiomyocytes to test chemerin supplementation.

Main Results:

• Rarres2 knockout mice on a normal diet exhibited normal metabolic and cardiac function.
• High-fat diet-fed Rarres2 knockout mice developed lipotoxicity, insulin resistance, inflammation, metabolic inflexibility, and cardiac dysfunction.
• In vitro, chemerin supplementation reversed lipid-induced abnormalities in cardiomyocytes.

Conclusions:

• Adipocyte-derived chemerin acts as an endogenous cardioprotective factor against obesity-related cardiomyopathy.
• Chemerin deficiency exacerbates metabolic substrate inflexibility and cardiac dysfunction under high-fat diet conditions.
• Targeting chemerin signaling may offer therapeutic potential for managing obesity-induced cardiac complications.