Vascular endothelial dysfunction has been demonstrated in obesity, but the molecular basis for this link has not been clarified. We examined the role of free fatty acids (FFA) on vascular reactivity in the obese fa/fa Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat. Addition of acetylcholine produced a dose-dependent relaxation in aortic rings of ZDF and lean +/+ rats, but the ED(50) value was higher in ZDF (-6.80 +/- 0.05 vs. -7.11 +/- 0.05 log(10) mol/liter, P = 0.033). A 2-wk treatment with a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, pitavastatin (3 mg/kg/d) or a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor, apocynin (5 mmol/liter in drinking water), improved the response in ZDF (ED(50), -7.16 +/- 0.03 and -7.14 +/- 0.05 log(10) mol/liter, P = 0.008 and P = 0.015 vs. vehicle, respectively). Vasodilator response to sodium nitroprusside was identical between ZDF and +/+ rats. Vascular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and NADPH oxidase activity in aorta were increased in ZDF rats but were decreased by pitavastatin. In in vitro cell culture, intracellular ROS signal and NADPH oxidase subunit mRNA were increased by palmitate, but this palmitate-induced ROS production was inhibited by NADPH oxidase inhibitor or pitavastatin. In conclusion, FFA-induced NADPH oxidase subunit overexpression and ROS production could be involved in the endothelial dysfunction seen in obese ZDF rats, and this could be protected by pitavastatin or NADPH oxidase inhibitors.

Brown rice is known to improve glucose intolerance and prevent the onset of diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In the current study, we investigated the effect of brown rice and its major component, γ-oryzanol (Orz), on feeding behavior and fuel homeostasis in mice. When mice were allowed free access to a brown rice–containing chow diet (CD) and a high-fat diet (HFD), they significantly preferred CD to HFD. To reduce hypothalamic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress on an HFD, mice were administered with 4-phenylbutyric acid, a chemical chaperone, which caused them to prefer the CD. Notably, oral administration of Orz, a mixture of major bioactive components in brown rice, also improved glucose intolerance and attenuated hypothalamic ER stress in mice fed the HFD. In murine primary neuronal cells, Orz attenuated the tunicamycin-induced ER stress. In luciferase reporter assays in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, Orz suppressed the activation of ER stress–responsive cis-acting elements and unfolded protein response element, suggesting that Orz acts as a chemical chaperone in viable cells. Collectively, the current study is the first demonstration that brown rice and Orz improve glucose metabolism, reduce hypothalamic ER stress, and, consequently, attenuate the preference for dietary fat in mice fed an HFD.

Even a single loading of test meal was shown to impair endothelial function in type 2 diabetic patients, and the postprandial endothelial dysfunction was improved by a prior use of acarbose. Acarbose might reduce macrovascular complication by avoiding endothelial injury in postprandial hyperglycemic status.

The obesity epidemic is a global public health concern that increases the likelihood of morbidity and mortality of metabolic and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and threatens to reduce life expectancy around the world. The concept of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) takes into account that visceral fat plays an essential role in the development of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, MetS cannot be used to assess global CVD risk but is at best one more modifiable CVD risk factor. Thus, global cardiometabolic risk (the global risk of cardiovascular disease resulting from traditional risk factors combined with the additional contribution of the metabolic syndrome and/or insulin resistance) should be considered individually. There is solid evidence supporting the notion that excess abdominal fat is predictive of insulin resistance and the presence of related metabolic abnormalities currently referred to as MetS. Despite the fact that abdominal obesity is a highly prevalent feature of MetS, the mechanisms by which abdominal obesity is causally related to MetS are not fully elucidated. Besides visceral fat accumulation, ectopic lipid deposition, especially in liver and skeletal muscle, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity-related disorders. Also, ectopic fat deposition could be deteriorated in the heart components such as (1) circulatory and locally recruited fat, (2) intra- and extra-myocellular fat, (3) perivascular fat, and (4) pericardial fat. In this review, the contribution of ectopic lipid deposition to global cardiometabolic risk is reviewed and also discussed are potential underlying mechanisms including adipocytokine, insulin resistance and lipotoxicity.

Abstract-Release of free fatty acid (FFA) from adipose tissue is implicated in insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction in patients with visceral fat obesity. We demonstrated previously that increased FFA levels cause endothelial dysfunction that is prevented by inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in humans. However, the mechanisms for FFA-mediated activation of RAS and the resultant endothelial dysfunction were not elucidated. We investigated effects of elevated FFA on activity of circulating and vascular RAS, angiotensin II-forming activity of leukocytes, and leukocyte activation of normotensive subjects. We showed that increased FFA levels significantly enhanced angiotensin II-forming activity in human mononuclear (mean fold increase: 3.5 at 180 minutes; Pϭ0.0016) and polymorphonuclear (2.0; Pϭ0.0012) cells, whereas parameters of the circulating and vascular RAS were not affected. We also showed that FFA caused angiotensin II-dependent leukocyte activation, which impaired endothelial function partly via increased myeloperoxidase release and presumably enhanced adhesion of leukocytes. We propose that the enhanced production of angiotensin II by FFA in mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells causes activation of leukocytes that consequently impairs endothelial function. RAS in leukocytes may regulate the leukocyte-vasculature interaction as the mobile RAS in humans. T he levels of circulating free fatty acid (FFA), mainly originating from lipolysis in adipose tissue, are increased in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, 1-3 reflecting resistance to the antilipolytic action of insulin. Increased plasma FFA concentrations cause endothelial dysfunction, 4 insulin resistance, 5 and endothelial apoptosis. 6 These observations, together with results from epidemiological studies, 7,8 suggest that FFA is involved in atherosclerosis in subjects with insulin resistance. Recently, we have found that FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction is prevented by the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin (Ang) system (RAS) in humans, 9 suggesting that RAS activation by FFA may predominantly contribute to FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction. This hypothesis appears plausible because of the close relationship between obesity and RAS activity in humans. 10,11 In addition, RAS activation is also associated with enhanced oxidative stress, 12 which is an intermediary mechanism by which FFA adversely alters vascular function. 13 However, although the proatherogenic action of excessive Ang II has been well documented, there is little information regarding the mechanism of RAS activation in individuals with obesity. Indeed, only a few studies have investigated the effects of elevated FFA on RAS activity. 14 The aim of the present study was to investigate effects of elevated FFA on RAS and to elucidate mechanisms for FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction in humans. We also investigated the interaction between FFA and leukocytes, because FFA is involved in leukocyte activation through protein kinase C re...