Adipose tissue inflammation and vascular dysfunction

• Applicant: Dr. Henrike Sell
• Subject Area: Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism
• Term: from 2009 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 155919193

Adipose tissue can be viewed as an endocrine organ in addition to its function as energy store. The amount of visceral adipose tissue is highly associated with the development of obesity-related metabolic disorders and atherosclerosis, pointing to a crucial contribution of this fat depot. This correlation is believed to be at least partly due to increased release of various protein factors from enlarged adipose tissue referred to as adipokines. This proposal aims to study the link between adipose tissue and vascular dysfunction with emphasis on the effect of adipocyte-derived factors on smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in the context of increased atherosclerotic risk in obese patients. For this purpose, the regulation of adipocyte secretion will be studied in subcutaneous and visceral adipocytes from paired adipose tissue samples from lean and obese patients, and will be related to inflammatory processes taking place in adipose tissue involving ER stress and hypoxia. Furthermore, molecular mechanisms of smooth muscle dysfunction will be studied in cells treated with adipose-derived factors alone or in combination with insulin. The comparison between subcutaneous and visceral adipocyte secretion will help to understand why central obesity confers the highest cardio-metabolic risk while analysis of smooth muscle cell dysfunction induced by adipocyte-derived factors will open up new vistas on mechanisms of obesity-related atherosclerosis and novel strategies to prevent cardiovascular events.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Spain
• Participating Persons: Professorin Dr. Conceptión Peiró Vallejo; Professor Dr. Carlos Sánchez Ferrer