The Role of the Novel Adipokine 'Chemerin' in the Inflammatory Processes Associated with Atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Canada and accounted for 74,626 Canadian deaths in 2002. Consistent with this cardiovascular disease also causes the greatest burden and cost to our national health care system. With a total burden of approximately 18.5 billion dollars on the canadian economy. The most important pathology contributing to cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is characterized by lipid accumulation, fibrosis and the occlusion of blood flow through large arteries. Obesity, an accumulation of excess adipose tissue is an important risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic disease and is increasing at an alarming rate in industrialized societies. In the last 20 to 30 years there has been a two-fold increase in the number of overweight individuals, almost 50% of Canadian adults are either overweight or obese. A novel hormone-like compound chemerin has recently been identified and initial studies suggest it is secreted from adipose tissue and may modulate the inflammatory response involved in the development of atherosclerosis. We will undertake experiments to fully characterize this novel compound and its role in gene regulation and biological activity in an atherosclerotic model of inflammation. The objective of these studies is to advance our understanding of the pathogenic relationship between obesity and atherosclerosis with the ultimate goal of devising novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and/or treat obesity and atherosclerosis.