Abstract 118: Adipose Inflammation Is Critically Involved in the Progression of Heart Failure During Pressure Overload

Abstract

Several clinical studies have shown that insulin resistance is prevalent among patients with impaired cardiac function and that systemic insulin resistance is the risk factor for the development of heart failure; however, underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. We have previously reported that increased p53 level in adipose tissue is crucially involved in adipose inflammation and insulin resistance during pressure overload. Here we show that . Pressure overload increased sympathetic activity and promoted lipolysis in adipose tissue. Accelerated lipolysis resulted in increases of reactive oxygen species and DNA damage, leading to up-regulation of adipose p53. This up-regulation activated the NF-kappaB pathway and induced adipose inflammation and insulin resistance. Genetic disruption of adipose p53 markedly attenuated adipose inflammation and metabolic abnormalities associated with heart failure. We also observed that cardiac function and survival in the chronic phase of heart failure were significantly better in adipose tissue p53-deficient mice than control littermates. Pharmacological inhibition of adipose p53 after imposing pressure overload also improved cardiac dysfunction as well as insulin resistance in the chronic phase of heart failure. These results suggest that inhibition of adipose inflammation is a potential target for treating metabolic abnormalities and systolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure.