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Cardiovascular disease

Batokine neuregulin 4 promotes atherosclerotic resolution

Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 1440–1441 (2022)Cite this article

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Adipose tissue is a specialized connective tissue and a major endocrine organ. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) secretes factors that modulate whole-body metabolic homeostasis and can affect distant organs. The discovery that BAT-secreted neuregulin 4 influences atherosclerotic progression opens new opportunities for treating atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. Among the predominant pathologies of CVDs is atherosclerosis, an inflammatory condition driven by lipid accumulation and inflammation within the arterial wall1. The endothelium forms the innermost layer of all blood vessels and, under physiological conditions, prevents atherosclerosis by precisely regulating the uptake of lipids and the infiltration of immune cells into the adventitia. Despite recent clinical and pharmacological advances in the development of lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory drugs, no treatment for atherosclerosis has been forthcoming. Challenges in drug discovery in this field stem from the complex aetiology of atherosclerosis, which involves multiple cell types and cellular processes.

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Fig. 1: Brown adipose tissue-derived NRG4 protects against atherosclerosis via the ERBB4–AKT–NF-κB pathway.

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Acknowledgements

J.K. is supported by Lundbeckfonden (R307-2018-3667); Carlsberg Fonden (CF19-0687); Kræftens Bekæmpelse (R302-A17296); A.P. Møller Fonden (20-L-0317); Novo Nordisk Fonden (#0073440); Riisfort Fonden; and Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus (SDCA).

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  1. Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Ibrahim AlZaim & Joanna Kalucka

  2. Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

    Joanna Kalucka

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  1. Ibrahim AlZaim
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Correspondence to Joanna Kalucka.

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AlZaim, I., Kalucka, J. Batokine neuregulin 4 promotes atherosclerotic resolution. Nat Metab 4, 1440–1441 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00669-8

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