Role of angiotensin II produced in the adipocyte in the development of the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

The description of the adipocyte functions and the role of numerous substances secreted by adipose cells for glucose and lipids homeostasis, thermal regulation, fat storage and distribution, allowed the identification of the angiotensinogen and angiotensine II as important factors for the adipocyte differentiation as well as for the regulation of the adipose reserve responding to nutritional changes and challenges. In this article we review the data that confirm the presence of the necessary biochemistry and molecular machinery required for the synthesis of angiotensine II in human adipose cells and the evidence which may suggest its protagonist role as causal factor for the Metabolic Syndrome. We propose that one of the most important factors for the development of the Metabolic Syndrome is the higher expression of angiotensine II in the visceral adipose tissue of the obese patients