Angiogenesis is tightly associated with the outgrowth of adipose tissue, leading to obesity, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and hypertension, mainly because expanding adipose tissue requires an increased nutrient supply from blood vessels. Therefore, induction of vessel abnormality by adipokines has been well-studied, whereas how altered vascular function promotes obesity is relatively unexplored. Also, surviving Prox1 heterozygous mice have shown abnormal lymphatic patterning and adult-onset obesity, indicating that accumulation of adipocytes could be closely linked with lymphatic function. Here, we propose a new antiobesity strategy based on enhancement of lymphatic and blood vessel integrity with apelin. Apelin knockout (KO) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) showed an obese phenotype associated with abnormal lymphatic and blood vessel enlargement. Fatty acids present in the HFD induced hyperpermeability of endothelial cells, causing adipocyte differentiation, whereas apelin promoted vascular stabilization. Moreover, treatment of apelin KO mice with a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, that were fed an HFD improved vascular function and also attenuated obesity. Finally, apelin transgenic mice showed decreased subcutaneous adipose tissue attributable to inhibition of HFD-induced hyperpermeability of vessels. These results indicate that apelin inhibits HFD-induced obesity by enhancing vessel integrity. Apelin could serve as a therapeutic target for treating obesity and related diseases.Obesity appears to be associated with a combination of genetic susceptibility, increased consumption of high-energy foods, and decreased physical activity, leading to excessive accumulation of white adipose tissues that serve to store surplus energy in the form of lipid within adipocytes (
1). It is correlated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer, and therefore represents a serious public health problem. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity have not been fully clarified, effective therapeutic approaches are needed.The blood and lymphatic systems are composed of dense networks of capillaries. Blood vessels are indispensable to import and carry fluid, dissolved proteins, and cells into interstitial space, whereas lymphatic vessels drain protein-rich lymph and traffic immune cells from the extracellular space (
2). Adipose tissue is mainly composed of adipocytes surrounded by stromal vascular tissue. The balance of adipokine production is disrupted by excess adipose tissue, leading to chronic vascular inflammation, which in turn may lead to cardiovascular disease (
3). The outgrowth of adipose tissue is tightly correlated with angiogenesis (
4). Thus, antiangiogenesis therapy has emerged as a potential treatment of obesity. However, this idea remains controversial not only because angiogenesis is physiologically important but also because brown adipose tissue consumes more energy if angiogenesis is increased (
5). Moreover, there is an increasing emphasis on lymphatic function in obesity research.
Chy mice, a naturally occurring mouse model of lymphedema attributable to heterozygous inactivating mutations in vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-3, exhibit adipose layer accumulation (
6). Also, surviving Prox1 heterozygous mice show abnormal lymphatic patterning and adult-onset obesity (
7). Thus, accumulation of adipocytes could be closely linked with the structure and function of lymphatic vessels. However, little is known about how vessel integrity influences adipocyte dynamics.The apelin gene encodes a 77-amino-acid preprotein, which is cleaved to shorter active peptides that bind to the apelin receptor (APJ), a G-protein-coupled receptor (
8). The full-length mature peptide comprises 36 amino acids (apelin-36), and other active fragments, including a 13-amino-acid peptide known as apelin-13, also are formed. Apelin is expressed widely in the vascular endothelium and acts both locally and via endocrine signaling to activate APJ, which is expressed in cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells (
9). Apelin/APJ signaling is located downstream of angiopoietin-1/Tie2 signaling in endothelial cells (
10). Apelin transgenic mice develop enlarged, but not leaky, blood vessels in ischemia, leading to functional recovery (
11). More recently, we have shown that apelin attenuates edema formation and inflammation by promoting lymphatic function in vivo (
12).Herein, we show that the apelin/APJ system enhances the integrity of lymphatic and blood vessels exposed to dietary fatty acids, resulting in inhibition of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. These results suggest that apelin may be a new therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity and its related diseases.
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