Abstract
Background/Purpose
Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is essential in the modulation of vascular tone. Recently we have shown that resident eosinophils play a vital role in regulating PVAT function. In obesity, eosinophil numbers are reduced and PVAT anticontractile function is lost, resulting in increased vascular tone, which will contribute to development of hypertension and type-2 diabetes. Evidence suggests that eosinophilia resulting from parasitic infection may be useful in improving glucose tolerance; therefore, we investigated the effects of eosinophilia on PVAT function in health and obesity.
Methods
Control mice and a high fat fed mouse model of obesity were administered intraperitoneal injections of interleukin-33 (IL-33, 0.1μg) over a five day period. Blood pressure, blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured and compared with un-injected control and obese mice. Wire myography was used to assess the vascular contractility of mesenteric arteries (<250μm, +/− PVAT) from both injected and un-injected control and obese mice in response to noradrenaline. ELISAs and immunohistochemistry were used to examine eosinophil numbers.
Results
High fat feeding induced significant elevations in blood pressure, blood glucose and plasma insulin, which were reduced using IL-33 injections. Eosinophilia was confirmed in blood plasma using an eosinophil cationic protein ELISA. Using wire myography, mesenteric arteries from control mice PVAT exerted an anticontractile effect on the vessels, which was enhanced in control mice injected with IL-33. In obese mice, the PVAT anticontractile effect was lost, but was restored in IL-33 injected obese mice. Using immunohistochemistry, we confirm that eosinophils numbers in PVAT were reduced in obesity and increased in IL-33 treated PVAT.
Conclusions
IL-33 injections induced eosinophilia in both control and obese mice. IL-33 treatment restored PVAT function in obesity, and enhanced the anticontractile function of PVAT in healthy animals. In addition, only five consecutive injections of IL-33 reversed development of hypertension and type-2 diabetes in obese mice. These data suggest that IL-33 induced eosinophilia presents a novel approach to treatment of hypertension and type-2 diabetes in obesity.
Acknowledgement/Funding
British Heart Foundation
Irisin Regulates Heme Oxygenase-1/Adiponectin Axis in Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Improves Endothelial Dysfunction in Diet-Induced Obese Mice