TY - JOUR
T1 - Epicardial fat
T2 - From the biomolecular aspects to the clinical practice
AU - Iacobellis, Gianluca
AU - Malavazos, Alexis E.
AU - Corsi, Massimiliano M.
PY - 2011/12
Y1 - 2011/12
N2 - Epicardial fat is the visceral fat depot of heart. It is a metabolically active organ with anatomical and functional contiguity to the myocardium. A dichotomous role has been attributed to the epicardial fat. Under physiological conditions, epicardial fat displays biochemical and thermogenic cardio-protective properties. Under pathological circumstances epicardial fat can locally affect the heart and coronary arteries through vasocrine or paracrine secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Epicardial fat can be measured with imaging techniques. Epicardial fat thickness reflects intra-abdominal and myocardial fat and correlates with metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease. Epicardial fat measurement may play a role in the stratification of the cardio-metabolic risk and serve as therapeutic target. Weight loss and anti-inflammatory drugs targeting the fat may modulate epicardial fat. Because epicardial and myocardial tissues share the same coronary arterial supply it is reasonable to hypothesize that improved local vascularisation may resume epicardial fat to its physiological role.
AB - Epicardial fat is the visceral fat depot of heart. It is a metabolically active organ with anatomical and functional contiguity to the myocardium. A dichotomous role has been attributed to the epicardial fat. Under physiological conditions, epicardial fat displays biochemical and thermogenic cardio-protective properties. Under pathological circumstances epicardial fat can locally affect the heart and coronary arteries through vasocrine or paracrine secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Epicardial fat can be measured with imaging techniques. Epicardial fat thickness reflects intra-abdominal and myocardial fat and correlates with metabolic syndrome and coronary artery disease. Epicardial fat measurement may play a role in the stratification of the cardio-metabolic risk and serve as therapeutic target. Weight loss and anti-inflammatory drugs targeting the fat may modulate epicardial fat. Because epicardial and myocardial tissues share the same coronary arterial supply it is reasonable to hypothesize that improved local vascularisation may resume epicardial fat to its physiological role.
KW - Atherosclerosis
KW - Ectopic fat
KW - Epicardial adipose tissue
KW - Epicardial fat
KW - Intra-myocardial fat
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biocel.2011.09.006
DO - 10.1016/j.biocel.2011.09.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 21967993
AN - SCOPUS:80255134506
VL - 43
SP - 1651
EP - 1654
JO - International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
JF - International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
SN - 1357-2725
IS - 12
ER -