Background: Epicardial adipose tissue has special properties that distinguish it from the more widely studied depots of adipose tissue.
Objectives: We undertook this study to investigate regional differences between epicardial and subcutaneous adipose tissue fat composition, as well as associations between these measures and metabolic variables.
Methods: Epicardial and subcutaneous peripheral adipose tissue were collected during coronary artery bypass grafting from 42 patients (ages 37-65) with coronary artery disease (CAD). The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue was determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC).
Results: The saturated fatty acids, including myristic acid (14:0), palmitic acid (16:0), and stearic acid (18:0), were higher, and the unsaturated fatty acids, including palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7), oleic acid (18:1n-9), linoleic acid (18:2n-6), and linolenic acid (18:3n-3), were lower than the subcutaneous adipose tissue. The presence of hypertension was positively correlated with the 16:1n-7 (r = 0.407, P = 0.032) and 18:1n-11(r = 0.370, P = 0.027), and negatively correlated with 18:1n-9 (r = -0.367, P = 0.036) and 18:2n-6 (r = -0.446, P = 0.006) contents of epicardial adipose tissue after adjustment for body mass index.
Conclusions: Regional differences may be observed in fatty acid composition, suggesting a depot specific impact of stored fatty acids on adipocyte function and metabolism.