Role of adipose tissue for cardiovascular-renal regulation health and disease

Obesity is associated with profound alterations of the cardiovascular system including an increase in systemic blood pressure. Several vasoactive factors, including non-esterified fatty acids, angiotensin II, prostaglandins, and nitric oxide are known to be produced by adipose tissue, and are therefore of particular interest regarding their potential role for the regulation of vascular tone and structure. In addition, central nervous system actions of the adipose tissue-derived hormone leptin may contribute to increased sympathetic nervous system activity that is typically found in obesity. Enhanced leptin-driven renal sympathetic out-flow, in combination with low atrial natriuretic peptide plasma levels possibly due to over-expression of the natriuretic peptide clearance receptor in adipocytes, may enhance sodium retention and volume expansion, both key features in the pathophysiology of obesity-associated hypertension. In this review, we discuss these and other possible contributions of adipose tissue to the regulation of cardiovascular-renal function and speculate on the role of adipose tissue for the development of obesity-associated hypertension.