title: Adipocyte: a potential target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
abstract: Obesity is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, whereas the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Adipocytes may produce various adipokines with favorable and unfavorable cardiovascular effects. The dysregulated secretion of adipokines by adipocytes may contribute to obese associated atherosclerosis. Adipocytes can also function as phagocytes to uptake and degrade oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), suggesting that adipocytes possibly involve in clearance of Ox-LDL in blood. The dysfunctional adipocytes might be implicated in the atherogenesis. Some cardioprotective drugs mediate their cardiovascular benefits partly through their direct beneficial effects on adipocytes. Therefore, we hypothesized that adipocytes might be potential target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Middle Ren-Min Road No. 86, Changsha, Hunan 410011, PR China. wzh915@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Zhi-hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shui-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D051131:Receptors, Oxidized LDL / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D020738:Leptin; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D051131:Receptors, Oxidized LDL; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein