The Potential Role for Adenosine in the Haemodynamic Effects of Free Fatty Acids

The metabolic syndrome is associated with hyperdynamic circulation and sympathetic activation. Recently, Bakker et al. (Atherosclerosis 2002) described the hypothesis that free fatty acids are responsible for this association. The investigators hypothesize that in patients with obesity and the metabolic syndrome, an increased intracellular concentration of long-chain fatty acyl (LCFA)-CoA (the intracellular equivalent of free fatty acids) induces an increase in adenosine. Adenosine receptor stimulation, in turn, induces vasodilation and sympathetic activation. The investigators aimed to assess this effect of free fatty acids on the adenosine system in healthy volunteers.