Key result
Larger perivascular adipocytes link to higher BMI, lower HDL-C, and increased inflammation in healthy donors.
Why the study?
Perivascular adipocyte size relates to adipose tissue dysfunction and inflammation, but had not been widely studied in healthy human subjects without clinical atherosclerosis.
Cross-Sectional (n=69)
No
Effect estimate: rs 0.5024
p-value: p=<0.0001
Larger perivascular adipocyte size is associated with adverse lipid profiles and local inflammatory changes even in healthy individuals, highlighting its potential role in early atherogenesis.
Association with CV risk factors in healthy donors is hypothesis-generating; does not support practice change and warrants longitudinal studies.
Inflammatory changes in perivascular adipose tissue are associated with atherosclerotic lesions in the adjacent artery and can also be used as a marker in patient workup. While adipocyte size is known to be closely related to adipose tissue dysfunction and inflammation, it has not been widely studied in perivascular adipose tissue obtained from healthy human subjects without clinical atherosclerosis. In this cross-sectional study, we addressed this issue by measuring adipocyte size and defining its relationship to cardiovascular risk factors in a healthy cohort of living kidney donors. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors was established by a standardized questionnaire, clinical measurements and body composition analyses. Adipocyte size was measured in the perivascular depot. The proportions of various macrophage subtypes were determined by flow cytometry. To confirm the results, the proportion of CD68 + macrophages was additionally assessed by immunohistochemistry. A correlation and principal component analyses were performed to explore associations. Adipocyte size in perivascular adipose tissue correlated with markers of lipid metabolism, inflammation, and glucose metabolism. Further, the positive correlation with the pro-inflammatory subpopulation of macrophages suggests a strong local effect of perivascular adipose tissue. Perivascular adipocyte size was associated with cardiovascular risk factors and markers of inflammation in a healthy cohort of living kidney donors. This further supports the local role of adipose tissue dysfunction and inflammation in early atherosclerosis development and detection.
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Bartušková et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy living kidney donors (n=69). Perivascular adipocyte size was evaluated on Correlation of perivascular adipocyte size with BMI (rs 0.5024, p=<0.0001). Perivascular adipocyte size in healthy living kidney donors significantly correlated with cardiovascular risk factors, including BMI (rs=0.5024) and HDL-C (rs=-0.5049), and markers of inflammation.
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