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Updated: May 15, 2026

A Murine Model of Hyperlipidemia-Induced Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Published on: March 29, 2024
Modulating the Secretome of Fat to Treat Heart Failure
Lorien G Salyer1,2, Yajing Wang3, Xinliang Ma4
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine (L.G.S., T.A.M.), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO.
Insights
Obesity contributes to heart failure through inflammation and altered fat secretomes. Understanding these mechanisms may reveal new therapeutic targets for heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disease
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Heart failure affects over 6 million US individuals, causing high mortality and costs.
- Obesity is a significant risk factor for heart failure development.
- Excess adipose tissue contributes to heart failure through inflammation and altered endocrine function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current obesity therapies and their cardiac effects.
- To explore mechanisms of fat-heart communication via secreted factors.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for heart failure.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of obesity therapies and their impact on the heart.
- Analysis of mechanisms linking adipose tissue secretomes to cardiac dysfunction.
- Identification of druggable targets in the fat-heart signaling axis.
Main Results:
- Adipose tissue-driven inflammation promotes cardiometabolic comorbidities like hypertension.
- Dysfunctional fat secretomes induce cardiac inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Current obesity therapies have varying effects on cardiac health.
Conclusions:
- Fat-heart communication via the secretome plays a critical role in heart failure pathogenesis.
- Targeting specific nodes in this communication circuit offers potential for novel heart failure therapies.
- Further research into obesity's impact on cardiac function is warranted.
Abstract:
Heart failure afflicts >6 million individuals in the United States alone and is associated with significant mortality (≈40% within 5 years of diagnosis) and cost (estimated to exceed $70 billion in the United States by 2030). Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of heart failure. The contribution of excess adipose tissue to heart failure pathogenesis is multifactorial. For example, adipose tissue-driven inflammation contributes to the development of other cardiometabolic comorbidities, such as hypertension, leading to left ventricular pressure overload and adverse remodeling of the heart. Adipose tissue also functions as an endocrine organ, and altered secretion of proteins, lipid mediators, metabolites, and small extracellular vesicles (collectively referred to as the secretome) from dysfunctional fat can lead to cardiac inflammation and oxidative stress, which drive changes in structure and function of the heart. In this review, we begin with an overview of current therapies for obesity and what is known about how they influence the heart. Then we focus on mechanisms by which fat communicates with the heart via secreted factors and highlight druggable nodes in this circuit that could be exploited to develop next-generation therapies for heart failure.
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