Increasing adipose tissue mass in obesity directly correlates with elevated circulating leptin levels. Leptin is an adipokine known to play a role in numerous biological processes including regulation of energy homeostasis, inflammation, vascular…
OBJECTIVE: Hyperleptinemia, hallmark of obesity, is a putative pathophysiologic trigger for atherosclerosis. We previously reported a stimulatory effect of leptin on TSP-1 (thrombospondin-1) expression, a proatherogenic matricellular protein …
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation, hallmark of SMC phenotypic switching central to the evolution of atherosclerosis, is profoundly enhanced in diabetic patients. Hyperglycemia, characteristic of diabetes, increases…
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of anomalies including type 2 diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Patients with MetS are 1.5 times more likely to develop late‐onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), with impaired glucose…
TGF-beta is a multifunctional cytokine affecting many cell types and implicated in tissue remodeling processes. Due to its many functions and cell-specific effects, the consequences of TGF-beta signaling are process-and stage-dependent, and it is not…
