ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the discovery and regulation of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in adipose tissue and summarizes the evidence to date demonstrating its role in regulation of adipogenesis, adipocyte metabolism, and obesity-related hypertension. Several genetic polymorphisms at the angiotensinogen (AGT) locus have been positively associated with plasma AGT levels and risk for hypertension. Much of the interest in the adipose RAS lies in its potential role in blood pressure regulation, particularly in obesity-associated hypertension. Blood pressure paralleled the changes in adipose RAS activity, suggesting that adipose tissue may contribute to blood pressure regulation by supplying Ang II. In adult humans and animals, adipose expansion occurs primarily through hypertrophy of existing adipocytes to accommodate increases in cellular lipid storage. Physiological concentrations of Ang II significantly increase fatty acid synthase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activities and gene expression, and also cellular triglyceride content, in both 3T3-L1 adipocytes and primary human adipocytes.
