Aging exacerbates obesity‐induced oxidative stress and inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue in mice: a paracrine mechanism contributing to vascular redox dysregulation and inflammation

Abstract

Obesity in the elderly is increasing at alarming rates and there is evidence suggesting that elderly individuals are more vulnerable to the deleterious cardiovascular effects of obesity than younger individuals. To test the hypothesis that aging exacerbates obesity‐induced inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue we assessed changes in the secretome, ROS production and macrophage infiltration in periaortic adipose tissue of young (7 mo) and aged (24 mo) high fat diet (HFD)‐fed obese mice. In young animals HFD‐induced obesity promoted oxidative stress in the perivascular adipose tissue, which was associated with a marked pro‐inflammatory shift in the profile of secreted cytokines and chemokines. Aging exacerbated obesity‐induced oxidative stress and inflammation and significantly increased macrophage infiltration in periaortic adipose tissue. Inflammatory factors secreted from the perivascular fat tissue of obese aged mice promoted significant pro‐oxidative and pro‐inflammatory phenotypic alterations in cultured arteries isolated from young control mice. Overall, localized perivascular adipose tissue inflammation exacerbates vascular oxidative stress and inflammation in aging, an effect that likely enhances the risk for development of cardiovascular diseases from obesity in the elderly.