Title:Perivascular Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ: The Role of Statins
Volume: 23
Issue: 46
Author(s): Fabio Sanna*, Marios Margaritis and Charalambos Antoniades
Affiliation:
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford,United Kingdom
Keywords:
Adipose tissue, cardiovascular disease, oxidative stress, statins, Perivascular AT, cytokines.
Abstract: Adipose tissue (AT), aside from being an energy storage site, functions as a source of cytokines, adipokines
and other vasoactive molecules. Dysfunctional AT contributes to the development of cardiovascular
disease by shifting to a pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory phenotype. Perivascular AT (PVAT) is of particular importance
to the development of vascular disease, due to its close proximity to the vascular wall. Molecules released
from PVAT can exert both pro- and anti-contractile effects, the balance of which plays a role in controlling vascular
tone. Recent evidence supports the existence of reciprocal, two-way interactions between PVAT and the
vascular wall. Statins, with their pivotal role in cardiovascular disease prevention, have been shown to exert lipidlowering
independent, pleiotropic effects on the vascular wall, some of which may be mediated by modulatory
effects on PVAT inflammation and secretome. These effects of statins provide a paradigm for the development of
new therapeutic agents aimed at modulating PVAT function, as a novel treatment strategy against cardiovascular
disease.
