title: Obesity-associated insulin resistance is correlated to adipose tissue vascular endothelial growth factors and metalloproteinase levels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expansion of adipose tissue is linked to the development of its vasculature, which appears to have the potential to regulate the onset of obesity. However, at present, there are no studies highlighting the relationship between human adipose tissue angiogenesis and obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our aim was to analyze and compare angiogenic factor expression levels in both subcutaneous (SC) and omentum (OM) adipose tissues from morbidly obese patients (n = 26) with low (OB/L-IR) (healthy obese) and high (OB/H-IR) degrees of IR, and lean controls (n = 17). Another objective was to examine angiogenic factor correlations with obesity and IR.Here we found that VEGF-A was the isoform with higher expression in both OM and SC adipose tissues, and was up-regulated 3-fold, together with MMP9 in OB/L-IR as compared to leans. This up-regulation decreased by 23% in OB/-H-IR compared to OB/L-IR. On the contrary, VEGF-B, VEGF-C and VEGF-D, together with MMP15 was down-regulated in both OB/H-IR and OB/L-IR compared to lean patients. Moreover, MMP9 correlated positively and VEGF-C, VEGF-D and MMP15 correlated negatively with HOMA-IR, in both SC and OM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We hereby propose that the alteration in MMP15, VEGF-B, VEGF-C and VEGF-D gene expression may be caused by one of the relevant adipose tissue processes related to the development of IR, and the up-regulation of VEGF-A in adipose tissue could have a relationship with the prevention of this pathology.
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CB06/03), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tinahones
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Coín-Aragüez
authors.forename: Maria Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mayas
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Fuentes
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hurtado-Del-Pozo
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vendrell
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardona
authors.forename: Rosa-Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: Maria-Jesus
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Obregon
authors.forename: Rajaa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: El Bekay
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000098:blood supply*; D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000378:metabolism; D009852:Omentum; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D045726:Metalloproteases