The Role of Palmitoleate in Hypertension and Cardiac Hypertrophy

• Author / Creator

  Bairwa, Suresh Chandra

• The adipocyte-derived lipokine, C16:1n7-palmitoleate, regulates a variety of functions such as systemic glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Under normal physiological conditions, palmitoleate levels are regulated by de novo lipogenesis. During pathological conditions where there are enhanced rates of adipose tissue lipolysis, circulating levels of palmitoleate can be increased and these increases can be correlated to cardiovascular disease. Thus, the levels of palmitoleate in the circulation can potentially be a cause of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. To address this, we administered palmitoleate to mice and determined the effects on blood pressure and cardiac structure and function. Our studies demonstrate that administration of palmitoleate by osmotic pump for one-week induces significant increase in blood pressure and promotes cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, palmitoleate increases muscle mass and decreases fat accumulation. Our preliminary results suggest that pro-hypertensive and pro-hypertrophic signaling mechanisms are induced by palmitoleate in the mesenteric arteries, kidneys and heart. Our results suggest that AMPK/eNOS signaling axis inhibition by palmitoleate in the mesenteric arteries is associated with an increase in blood pressure. Further studies are required to discover the involvement of other signaling pathways to determine whether targeting those signaling pathways could be a therapeutic strategy against hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Palmitoleate
  • Hypertension
  • Cardiac Hypertrophy

• Graduation date

  Fall 2017

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3P26QH7T

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.