Lipid droplets in the endothelium: The missing link between metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease?

Abstract

The physiology of lipid droplets (LDs) has been most extensively characterized in adipocytes, but LDs also accumulate in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in response to changing levels of triglycerides. In recent issues of the JCI, two independent papers highlight a direct role of endothelial LDs in the genesis of hypertension and atherosclerosis in rodent models. Kim et al. demonstrated that accumulation of LDs in the endothelium leads to hypertension, impairs endothelial function, and accelerates atherosclerosis. Boutagy, Gamez-Mendez, et al. knocked out Atgl in the endothelium and confirmed triglyceride accumulation in endothelial cells that was associated with reduced NO synthesis and impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilation. These data suggest that enhancing triglyceride breakdown in the endothelium could provide a treatment target for patients with metabolic syndrome.