Adiponectin and Inflammatory Mediators in Mediastinal Adipose Tissues

Coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease, is caused by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis that is an inflammatory process in which immune mechanisms interact with metabolic risk factors to initiate, propagate, and activate lesions in the arterial trees. Epidemiological studies have found that increased cardiovascular risks are associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (eg, interleukin-6 \[IL-6\] and tumor necrosis factor-alpha\[TNF-alpha\]) or their hepatic product, C-reactive protein (CRP). Higher expression of interleukin-Ibeta(IL-1beta),IL-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and TNF-alpha were observed in epicardial adipose tissues in patients with CAD. These findings suggested that the pericoronary tissues could be a source of inflammatory mediators or act as paracrine that lead to vascular inflammation on CAD pathogenesis. However, adiponectin, a kind of adipocytokine, produced and secreted exclusively by adipose tissue, has been reported to have a variety of anti-inflammatory functions against atherosclerosis, resulting in risk reduction for incidence of CAD events. It remains unclear whether adiponectin and inflammatory mediators in mediastinal adipose tissue contribute to CAD. We therefore aim to analyze the expression of adiponectin and inflammatory mediators in mediastinal adipose tissue between patients with CAD and with valve diseases, and to correlate these parameters with clinical atherosclerotic risks, medications (statins or antiplatelet), and blood sugar.