Adipose tissue in the mammalian heart and pericardium: Structure, foetal development and biochemical properties

doi:10.1016/0305-0491(89)90337-4

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry

Volume 94, Issue 2, 1989, Pages 225-232

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Abstract

1.
1. The occurrence and relative abundance of adipose tissue around the heart and in the pericardium of wild and domesticated mammals are reviewed and some new data reported.
2.
2. For macaque monkeys and a wide range of other adult mammals, the mean volume of epicardial adipocytes is constant at about half the average of that of other depots, although the relative mass of this depot is unrelated to the abundance of adipose tissue in the rest of the body.
3.
3. In young adult guinea-pigs, the maximum rate of fatty acid synthesis is significantly higher in epicardial adipose tissue than that in the pericardial, perirenal and popliteal depots.
4.
4. The rate of fatty acid release by epicardial adipose tissue is approximately twice that of the pericardial and perirenal depots.
5.
5. The protein contents of guinea-pig epicardial and pericardial adipose tissue are similar, and are significantly higher than those of the perirenal and popliteal adipose tissue and there are no site-specific differences in the abundance of mitochondria.
6.
6. In adult Macaca monkeys, the capacity of the epicardial adipose tissue for glucose utilization is about half that of the intra-abdominal depots.
7.
7. The principal difference between epicardial adipose tissue and that elsewhere in the body is its greater capacity for fatty acid release.
8.
8. It is suggested that cardiac adipose tissue may act as a local energy supply for adjacent myocardium and/or as a buffer against toxic levels of free fatty acids.

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Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has morphological and physiological contiguity with the myocardium and coronary arteries, making it a visceral fat deposit with some unique properties. Under normal circumstances, EAT exhibits biochemical, mechanical, and thermogenic cardioprotective characteristics. Under clinical processes, epicardial fat can directly impact the heart and coronary arteries by secreting proinflammatory cytokines via vasocrine or paracrine mechanisms. It is still not apparent what factors affect this equilibrium. Returning epicardial fat to its physiological purpose may be possible by enhanced local vascularization, weight loss, and focused pharmacological therapies. This review centers on EAT's developing physiological and pathophysiological dimensions and its various and pioneering clinical utilities.
Impact of Sex and Menopausal Status on the Association Between Epicardial Adipose Tissue and Diastolic Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

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To evaluate the impact of sex and menopausal status on the association between the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume and diastolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A total of 542 consecutive patients with T2DM were retrospectively included in this study. All patients underwent cardiac computed tomographic as well as echocardiography. To assess the independent association of EAT and diastolic function parameters, we performed a multivariate linear regression analysis.

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Citation Excerpt :

It is enclosed completely by the pericardial sac resulting in the close proximity of the coronary arteries with this fat compartment (Talman et al., 2014). EAT origins from the splanchonopleuric mesoderm and has the same embryologic origin as mesenteric and omental fat cells (Ho and Shimada, 1978; Iacobellis and Willens, 2009; Marchington et al., 1989). Contrarily, PaAT is located on the external surface of the parietal pericardium (Talman et al., 2014).

Unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with elevated mortality risk secondary to natural causes. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes the most prevalent underlying condition. Patients with BD display higher CVD-associated excess mortality than MDD patients. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume, a known predictor of premature CV morbidity and adrenal gland (AG) volume, an indicator for chronic hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, were compared in BD and MDD patients.

Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to assess EAT and AG volume in age-, gender-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched MDD (N = 27) and BD (N = 27) patients. Ten-year CV mortality risk and diabetes risk were assessed by PROCAM, ESC-SCORE, and FINDRISK, respectively; metabolic syndrome (MetS) was determined following NCEP/ATP III criteria.

Cardiometabolic risk scores and frequency of MetS were comparable, and scores of cardiometabolic risk indices did not significantly differ in both groups. After adjustment for age, BMI, and physical activity, EAT and AG volumes were significantly higher in BD compared to MDD. Partial correlation analyses showed a significant positive association of EAT and AG volumes in BD but not in the MDD.

The modest sample size warrants confirmation in a larger cohort and the cross-sectional design does not allow for temporal or causal inferences.

Our study indicates increased EAT accumulation in BD patients. This was associated with HPA axis dysregulation. Therapeutic lifestyle interventions that reduce EAT volume should be considered in clinical BD management.
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Epicardial adipose tissue is a layer of adipocytes that physiologically surround the myocardium and play some physiologic roles in normal heart function. However, in pathologic conditions, the epicardial adipose tissue can present a potent cardiac risk factor that is capable of impairing heart function through several pathways, increasing the risk of dysrhythmia and creating an inflammatory milieu around the heart tissues. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) are a relatively newly introduced class of antidiabetes drugs which effectively normalize blood glucose via overt glycosuria. Some recent reports suggest that these drugs are able to modulate epicardial adiposity and decrease the risk of cardiac complications in diabetic patients who are at higher risk of epicardial adiposity-dependent cardiac disorders. If proven to be true, these antidiabetic drugs can provide dual benefits as both hypoglycemic agents and as epicardial adiposity normalizing agents, thus providing cardiac benefits. In this study, we discuss the physiological and pathophysiological importance of epicardial adiposity and the potential positive effects of SGLT2is in the diabetic milieu.
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General paper Adipose tissue in the mammalian heart and pericardium: Structure, foetal development and biochemical properties

Abstract

Meth. Enzymol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol.

Meth. Enzymol.

The heart and obesity

Anatomy of the heart of the Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

J. Morphol.

Modes of thermal protection in polar bear cubs at birth and on emergence from the den

Am. J. Physiol.

Action of free fatty acids on contractility and action potential of the heart

Techniques of cardiac fluoroscopy

The activities of phosphorylase, hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, lactate dehydrogenase and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase in muscles from vertebrates and invertebrates

Biochem. J.

Apparition, origine et évolution de tissues adipeux épididymaire et péricardiaque de foetus de porc

Ann. Biol. Anim. Biochem. Biophys.

Effects of insulin in vitro on lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake in white adipose tissue of Zucker rats aged 10 days

Biochem. J.

Hormone sensitive lipase from adipose tissue of the rat

Meth. Enzymol.

Morphology of adipose tissue cells in lambs at birth and during subsequent transition of brown to white adipose tissue in cold and warm conditions

Am. J. Anat.

The Anatomy of Domestic Animals

Morphological changes in the adipocyte during fat deposition and mobilization

Am. J. Physiol.

General paper
Adipose tissue in the mammalian heart and pericardium: Structure, foetal development and biochemical properties