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Adipokines and the Vascular System

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PanVascular Medicine

Abstract

Adipose tissue can be considered as a huge gland producing paracrine and endocrine hormones, the adipokines. In pathological situations, as obesity, there is a change in the profile of adipokines released, with less production of the “healthy” adipokines such as adiponectin and more release of the “unhealthy” adipokines, leading to the development of cardiovascular disease. In this chapter, we review the role of prominent adipokines in the cardiovascular system with additional mention of novel adipokines. The role of specialized fat depots in vascular pathology will also be discussed.

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Abbreviations

AMPK:

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase

CAD:

Coronary artery disease

CRP:

C-reactive protein

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

EAT:

Epicardial adipose tissue

EC:

Endothelial cell

eNOS:

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase

EPC:

Endothelial progenitor cell

ICAM-1:

Intercellular adhesion molecule 1

IL2:

Interleukin 2

IL6:

Interleukin 6

MI:

Myocardial infarction

NF-кB:

Nuclear factor-kappa beta

PI3K:

Phosphoinositide-3-kinase

PVAT:

Perivascular adipose tissue

TNFα:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

VCAM-1:

Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1

VSMC:

Vascular smooth muscle cell

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Correspondence to Maria-José Barahona M.D., Ph.D. .

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Barahona, MJ., Valassi, E., Webb, S.M. (2013). Adipokines and the Vascular System. In: Lanzer, P. (eds) PanVascular Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_179-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37393-0_179-1

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