This study sought to evaluate and compare tissue concentrations of several adipocytokines [adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] derived from epicardial and central abdominal adipose tissues in patients with (n=46) and without (n=12) coronary artery disease (CAD) evaluated with open-heart surgery. One of the major findings of this study was that tissue concentrations of adipocytokines derived from epicardial or abdominal adipose tissues exhibited different profiles in patients with critical CAD versus non-CAD subjects. Patients with critical CAD who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) had significantly higher tissue concentrations of TNF-a, IL-6, leptin, and visfatin as well as lower tissue levels of adiponectin in both fat depots than controls. Moreover, in patients with CAD, abdominal adipose tissue displayed a higher expression of TNF-a, IL-6, leptin, and visfatin and a lower expression of adiponectin than epicardial adipose tissue. In light of these results, the authors concluded that abdominal adiposity might play a more significant role than epicardial fat in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.
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