Vascular effects of perivascular adipose tissue-derived chemerin in obesity-associated cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is a unique and metabolically active adipose tissue that is adjacent to most systemic blood vessels. Healthy PVAT exerts anticontractile and anti-inflammatory effects, contributing to vascular protection. However, during obesity, PVAT becomes proinflammatory and profibrotic, exacerbating vascular dysfunction. Chemerin, a multifunctional adipokine, has emerged as a key regulator of vascular tone, inflammation, and remodeling. Although liver-derived chemerin dominates the circulating chemerin pool, PVAT-derived chemerin plays a more localized and functionally important role in vascular pathophysiology because of its proximity to the vessel wall. This review highlights the role of PVAT-derived chemerin in vascular health, the mechanistic involvement of PVAT-derived chemerin in certain aspects of obesity-associated cardiovascular diseases, and the therapeutic potential of targeting PVAT-derived chemerin.