Early Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis: The Childhood Obesity

Authors: Amati, Luigi; Chiloiro, Marisa; Jirillo, Emilio; Covelli, Vito

Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design, Volume 13, Number 36, December 2007 , pp. 3696-3700(5)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

Obesity represents a chronic inflammatory status and adipocytes release either cytokines or an array of adipokines such as leptin, endowed with immunomodulating and systemic activities. The involvement of cytokines in obesity as well as of the adipokine leptin is supported by the notion that weight reduction normalizes mediators of inflammation.

In this framework, we will demonstrate that in obese children, subjected for a period of six months to a hypocaloric diet, reduction of major biochemical and anthropometric parameters correlates with a normalization of immune status. Infact, absolute numbers of CD4+ cells and CD4/CD8 ratio increase, while leptin values fluctuate within normal ranges, being this adipokine involved in the modulation of either innate or adaptive immune responses.

In the discussion, the immune abnormalities detected in obesity will be pointed out and emphasis will be placed on the increased frequency of infectious episodes occurring in obese adolescent and adults. Finally, the infectious etiology of obesity will be illustrated in the sense that adipocytes interacting with infectious agents may cause obesity.

Taken together, the bulk of available data indicate that childhood obesity should be prevented or reduced to avoid more serious complications in adulthood.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; adipokines; cytokines; leptin; obesity

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161207783018563

Affiliations: 1: IRCCS “S. De Bellis”, via della Resistenza n.c., 70013- Castellana Grotte (Bari), Italy.

Publication date: 2007-12-01

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Current Pharmaceutical Design publishes timely in-depth reviews covering all aspects of current research in rational drug design. Each issue is devoted to a single major therapeutic area. A Guest Editor who is an acknowledged authority in a therapeutic field has solicits for each issue comprehensive and timely reviews from leading researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.

Each thematic issue of Current Pharmaceutical Design covers all subject areas of major importance to modern drug design, including: medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, drug targets and disease mechanism.

Early Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis: The Childhood Obesity

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