title: Adiponectin ameliorates hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial remodeling.
abstract: We have demonstrated that adiponectin has anti-atherosclerotic properties. We also reported hypoadiponectinemia and nocturnal reduction in circulating adiponectin concentrations in patients of severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). OSAS is often complicated with pulmonary hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effect of adiponectin on chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial remodeling in mice. Exposure of mice to 3-weeks sustained hypoxia (10% O(2)) resulted in significant accumulation of adiponectin in pulmonary arteries. The percentage media wall thickness (%MT), representing pulmonary arterial remodeling, under hypoxic condition, was greater in adiponectin-knockout mice than wild-type mice. Overexpression of adiponectin significantly decreased hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial wall thickening and right ventricular hypertrophy. These findings demonstrate for the first time that overexpression of adiponectin suppresses the development of hypoxic-induced pulmonary remodeling, and that adiponectin may combat a new strategy for pulmonary vascular changes that underlie pulmonary hypertension in OSAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 B-5, Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishida
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funahashi
authors.forename: Iichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimomura
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae; D052242:Adiponectin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin