Key result
Increased visceral adipose tissue ANGPTL4 expression in obese individuals was associated with abnormal glucose metabolism (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.2-23; p=0.02).
Why the study?
The metabolic implications and mechanisms of differential ANGPTL4 and LPL expression in human adipose tissue, specifically regarding insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes risk, remain partially unknown.
Observational (n=88)
Odds Ratio: 5.1 (95% CI 1.2–23)
p-value: p=0.02
In obese individuals, increased visceral adipose tissue ANGPTL4 expression is associated with abnormal glucose metabolism and local inflammation, while higher LPL expression may indicate protective lipid storage.
Association warrants caution against inferring causality; hypothesis-generating for ANGPTL4 as a metabolic target in obesity.
Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) regulates lipid partitioning by inhibiting circulating and tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL); ANGPTL4 loss-of-function variants improve insulin sensitivity and reduce type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk with mechanisms partially unknown. This study was designed to explore metabolic implications of differential ANGPTL4 and LPL expression in human adipose tissue (AT). We recruited eighty-eight obese individuals, with and without abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM), undergoing bariatric surgery; visceral AT (VAT) fragments were obtained intra-operatively and analyzed by immunohistochemistry and mRNA by rt-PCR. Data on hepatic ANGPTL4 mRNA were available for 40 participants. VAT ANGPTL4 expression was higher in AGM individuals than in those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and associated with VAT inflammation, insulin resistance, and presence of adipocyte size heterogeneity. Increased ANGPTL4 was associated with AGM with OR = 5.1 (95% C.I.: 1.2–23; p = 0.02) and AUROC = 0.76 (95% C.I.: 1.2–23; p < 0.001). High LPL was associated with the detection of homogeneous adipocyte size, reduced microvessel density, and higher HIF-1α levels and inversely correlated to blood transaminases. In conclusion, in obese individuals, VAT ANGPTL4 levels are increased in the presence of local inflammation and AGM. Conversely, higher LPL expression describes a condition of increased lipid storage in adipocytes, which may serve as a protective mechanism against ectopic fat accumulation and related metabolic disease in obesity.
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Barchetta et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Obesity (n=88). Increased VAT ANGPTL4 expression vs. Normal glucose tolerance / lower ANGPTL4 expression was evaluated on Abnormal glucose metabolism (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.2-23, p=0.02). Increased visceral adipose tissue ANGPTL4 expression in obese individuals was associated with abnormal glucose metabolism (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.2-23; p=0.02).
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