Targeting Autophagy in Obesity-Associated Heart Disease.

Targeting Autophagy in Obesity-Associated Heart Disease. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Apr 02;: Authors: Castañeda D, Gabani M, Choi SK, Nguyen QM, Chen C, Mapara A, Kassan A, Gonzalez AA, Ait-Aissa K, Kassan M Abstract Over the past three decades, the increasing rates of obesity have led to an alarming obesity epidemic worldwide. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases; thus, it is essential to define the molecular mechanisms by which obesity affects heart function. Individuals with obesity and overweight have shown changes in cardiac structure and function, leading to cardiomyopathy, hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation, and arrhythmia. Autophagy is a highly conserved recycling mechanism that delivers proteins and damaged organelles to lysosomes for degradation. In the hearts of patients and mouse models with obesity, this process is impaired. Furthermore, it has been shown that autophagy flux restoration in obesity models improves cardiac function. Therefore, autophagy may play an important role in mitigating the adverse effects of obesity on the heart. Throughout this review, we will discuss the benefits of autophagy on the heart in obesity and how regulating autophagy might be a therapeutic tool to reduce the risk of obesity-associated cardiovascular diseases. PMID: 30938942 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Obesity - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: Obesity (Silver Spring) Source Type: research