Human epicardial fat has a beige profile and contains higher type 2 innate lymphoid cells than subcutaneous fat
Authors' conclusion
This is the first study, to our knowledge, to provide a comparison between innate and adaptive lymphoid cells in human EAT. Further studies are ongoing to decipher whether these cells could be involved in EAT beiging.
Study context
- Population
- Paired human epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and thoracic subcutaneous AT (thSAT) from the EPICAR study; paired AT from human multiorgan donors (n = 18; INTERFACE study)EPICAR n = 31 · EPICAR study 31
- Comparison
- Epicardial adipose tissue vs subcutaneous adipose tissue
- Outcome
- Immune signature and browning genes in EAT vs subcutaneous AT
Methodological detailspaired tissue samples, pan-genomic microarray analysis, immunophenotyping
- Paired tissue samples
- Pan-genomic microarray analysis
- Immunophenotyping
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- EPICAR: positive correlation between Th2 immune pathway and browning genes in EAT vs thSAT
- r = 0.82; p < 0.0001
- INTERFACE: correlation between Th2 pathway and browning genes also observed
- r = 0.31; p = 0.017
- Preponderance of CD4+T cells, CD8+T cells and a few B cells in all ATs
- p < 0.0001
- ILCs per gram of AT, visceral AT (EAT + visceral AT (VAT)) vs subcutaneous (thSAT + abdominal SAT): 30 ± 5 vs 8 ± 2; Innate lymphoid cell (ILC1) most frequent (ILC1 > ILC3 > ILC2)
- p = 0.001
- Specific increase in EAT-ILC2 vs other ATs; proportion expressing CD69 and/or CD25 activation markers 97.9% ± 1.2%
- p < 0.0001
- More natural killer cells in EAT + VAT than in thSAT + abdominal SAT
- p = 0.01
Further findings
Sensitivity analysis excluding patients with coronary artery disease
- Exclusion of patients with coronary artery disease did not modify the main findings
Original publication
Human epicardial fat has a beige profile and contains higher type 2 innate lymphoid cells than subcutaneous fat. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 15 May 2024. doi:10.
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