Epicardial adipose tissue surrounds and infiltrates the heart. Epicardial fat displays unique anatomic, genetic, and biomolecular properties. People with obesity and in particular, those with abdominal obesity and associated type 2 diabetes mellitus, have an increased amount of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT). Epicardial fat works well as therapeutic target due to its fast-responding metabolism, organ fat specificity, and easy measurability. Epicardial fat responds to thiazolidinediones (TZD), glucagon-like peptide 1-receptor agonists (GLP1A), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), and statins. Modulating epicardial fat morphology and genetic profile with targeted pharmacological agents suggests novel strategies in the pharmacotherapy of diabetes and obesity.
Keywords: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors; Epicardial adipose tissue: pharmaceutical target; Epicardial fat; Glucagon-like peptide 1-receptor agonists; Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors; Statins; Thiazolidinediones.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.