Biomaterial Database

Adipose tissue in the mammalian heart and pericardium: structure, foetal development and biochemical properties. 1989

J M Marchington, and C A Mattacks, and C M Pond

Department of Biology, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.

1. The occurrence and relative abundance of adipose tissue around the heart and in the pericardium of wild and domesticated mammals are reviewed and some new data reported. 2. For macaque monkeys and a wide range of other adult mammals, the mean volume of epicardial adipocytes is constant at about half the average of that of other depots, although the relative mass of this depot is unrelated to the abundance of adipose tissue in the rest of the body. 3. In young adult guinea-pigs, the maximum rate of fatty acid synthesis is significantly higher in epicardial adipose tissue than that in the pericardial, perirenal and popliteal depots. 4. The rate of fatty acid release by epicardial adipose tissue is approximately twice that of the pericardial and perirenal depots. 5. The protein contents of guinea-pig epicardial and pericardial adipose tissue are similar, and are significantly higher than those of the perirenal and popliteal adipose tissue and there are no site-specific differences in the abundance of mitochondria. 6. In adult Macaca monkeys, the capacity of the epicardial adipose tissue for glucose utilization is about half that of the intra-abdominal depots. 7. The principal difference between epicardial adipose tissue and that elsewhere in the body is its greater capacity for fatty acid release. 8. It is suggested that cardiac adipose tissue may act as a local energy supply for adjacent myocardium and/or as a buffer against toxic levels of free fatty acids.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008322	Mammals	Warm-blooded vertebrate animals belonging to the class Mammalia, including all that possess hair and suckle their young.	Mammalia,Mammal
D009206	Myocardium	The muscle tissue of the HEART. It is composed of striated, involuntary muscle cells (MYOCYTES, CARDIAC) connected to form the contractile pump to generate blood flow.	Muscle, Cardiac,Muscle, Heart,Cardiac Muscle,Myocardia,Cardiac Muscles,Heart Muscle,Heart Muscles,Muscles, Cardiac,Muscles, Heart
D010496	Pericardium	A conical fibro-serous sac surrounding the HEART and the roots of the great vessels (AORTA; VENAE CAVAE; PULMONARY ARTERY). Pericardium consists of two sacs: the outer fibrous pericardium and the inner serous pericardium. The latter consists of an outer parietal layer facing the fibrous pericardium, and an inner visceral layer (epicardium) resting next to the heart, and a pericardial cavity between these two layers.	Epicardium,Fibrous Pericardium,Parietal Pericardium,Pericardial Cavity,Pericardial Space,Serous Pericardium,Visceral Pericardium,Cavities, Pericardial,Cavity, Pericardial,Pericardial Cavities,Pericardial Spaces,Pericardium, Fibrous,Pericardium, Parietal,Pericardium, Serous,Pericardium, Visceral,Pericardiums, Fibrous,Pericardiums, Serous,Serous Pericardiums,Space, Pericardial,Spaces, Pericardial
D011506	Proteins	Linear POLYPEPTIDES that are synthesized on RIBOSOMES and may be further modified, crosslinked, cleaved, or assembled into complex proteins with several subunits. The specific sequence of AMINO ACIDS determines the shape the polypeptide will take, during PROTEIN FOLDING, and the function of the protein.	Gene Products, Protein,Gene Proteins,Protein,Protein Gene Products,Proteins, Gene
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D005227	Fatty Acids	Organic, monobasic acids derived from hydrocarbons by the equivalent of oxidation of a methyl group to an alcohol, aldehyde, and then acid. Fatty acids are saturated and unsaturated (FATTY ACIDS, UNSATURATED). (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Aliphatic Acid,Esterified Fatty Acid,Fatty Acid,Fatty Acids, Esterified,Fatty Acids, Saturated,Saturated Fatty Acid,Aliphatic Acids,Acid, Aliphatic,Acid, Esterified Fatty,Acid, Saturated Fatty,Esterified Fatty Acids,Fatty Acid, Esterified,Fatty Acid, Saturated,Saturated Fatty Acids
D006321	Heart	The hollow, muscular organ that maintains the circulation of the blood.	Hearts
D006651	Histocytochemistry	Study of intracellular distribution of chemicals, reaction sites, enzymes, etc., by means of staining reactions, radioactive isotope uptake, selective metal distribution in electron microscopy, or other methods.	Cytochemistry
D000273	Adipose Tissue	Specialized connective tissue composed of fat cells (ADIPOCYTES). It is the site of stored FATS, usually in the form of TRIGLYCERIDES. In mammals, there are two types of adipose tissue, the WHITE FAT and the BROWN FAT. Their relative distributions vary in different species with most adipose tissue being white.	Fatty Tissue,Body Fat,Fat Pad,Fat Pads,Pad, Fat,Pads, Fat,Tissue, Adipose,Tissue, Fatty
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia