Cardiovascular Journal of Africa: Vol 26 No 1 (January/February 2015)

9 / 68

CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 26, No 1, January/February 2015 AFRICA 7
is rather contradictory, as it is associated with left ventricular
hypertrophy in hypertensive, insulin-resistant men, it also induces
direct vasodilatation through distinct endothelial mechanisms.
Our findings therefore may have clinical or pharmacological
importance. In the light of these findings, it could be hypothesised
that obese subjects who had a left IMA bypass graft would
actually have better (anterior wall) myocardial perfusion
compared to non-obese subjects. There is a need for further
studies investigating possible differences in IMA responses to
leptin in vessels from patients with different body mass indexes.
References
1. Wachira JK, Stys TP. Cardiovascular disease and bridging the diagnos-
tic gap. SD Med 2013; 66: 366–369.
2. WHO. World health statistics 2009. Geneva: World Health Organization;
2009; Available from:
health_statistics/EN_WHS09_Full.pdf [accessed 19 January 2014].
3. Feliciano L, Henning RJ. Coronary artery blood flow: physiologic and
pathophysiologic regulation. Clin Cardiol 1999; 22: 775–786.
4. Cassar A, Holmes DR Jr, Rihal CS, et al . Chronic coronary artery
disease: diagnosis and management. Mayo Clin Proc 2009; 84: 1130–
1146.
5. Luscher TF. Vascular biology of coronary bypass grafts. Curr Opin
Cardiol 1991; 6: 868–876.
6. Katai R, Tsuneyoshi I, Hamasaki J, et al. The variable effects of dopa-
mine among human isolated arteries commonly used for coronary
bypass grafts. Anesth Analg 2004; 98: 915–920.
7. He GW. Nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in
human arteries and veins. J Card Surg 2002; 17: 317–323.
8. Liu ZG, Ge ZD, He GW. Difference in endothelium-derived hyperpolar-
izing factor-mediated hyperpolarization and nitric oxide release between
human internal mammary artery and saphenous vein. Circulation 2000;
102(III): 296–301.
9. Mantzoros CS, Magkos F, Brinkoetter M, Sienkiewicz E, Dardeno TA,
Kim SY, Hamnvik OP, Koniaris A. Leptin in human physiology and
pathophysiology. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2011; 301: E567–584.
10. Kelesidis T, Kelesidis I, Chou S, Mantzoros CS. Narrative review: the
role of leptin in human physiology: emerging clinical applications. Ann
Intern Med 2010; 19(152): 93–100.
11. Wolf G. Leptin: the weight-reducing plasma protein encoded by the
obese gene. Nutr Rev 1996; 54: 91–93.
12. Jéquier E. Leptin signaling, adiposity, and energy balance. Ann NY Acad
Sci 2002; 967: 379–388.
13. Blüher S, Mantzoros CS. Leptin in humans: lessons from translational
research. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 991S–997S.
14. Goldman S, Zadina K, Moritz T, et al. Long-term patency of saphen-
ous vein and left internal mammary artery grafts after coronary artery
bypass surgery: results from a Department of Veterans Affairs coopera-
tive study. J Am Coll Cardiol 2004; 44: 2149–2156.
15. Boyle AJ, Kelly DJ, Zhang Y, et al . Inhibition of protein kinase C
reduces left ventricular fibrosis and dysfunction following myocardial
infarction. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2005; 39: 213–221.
16. Bowling N, Walsh RA, Song G, et al. Increased protein kinase C activ-
ity and expression of Ca2+ -sensitive isoforms in the failing human heart.
Circulation 1999; 99: 384–391.
17. Palaniyandi SS, Sun L, Ferreira JC, et al. Protein kinase C in heart fail-
ure: a therapeutic target? Cardiovasc Res 2009; 82: 229–239.
18. Lembo G, Vecchione C, Fratta L, et al. Leptin induces direct vasodilation
through distinct endothelial mechanisms. Diabetes 2000; 49: 293–297.
19. Fortuño A, Rodríguez A, Gómez-Ambrosi J, et al . Leptin inhibits angio-
tensin II-induced intracellular calcium increase and vasoconstriction in
the rat aorta. Endocrinology 2002; 143: 3555–3560.
20. Muir AD, McKeown PP, Bayraktutan U. Role of gender, smoking
profile, hypertension, and diabetes on saphenous vein and internal
mammary artery endothelial relaxation in patients with coronary artery
bypass grafting. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2010; 3: 199–205.
21. Kopjar T, Biočina B, Gašparović H. Radial artery or saphenous vein:
a graft of second choice in coronary artery bypass surgery. J Thorac
Cardiovasc Surg 2013; 145: 1146–1147.
22. Allen SP, Chester AH, Dashwood MR, et al. Preferential vasoconstric-
tion to cysteinyl leukotrienes in the human saphenous vein compared
with the internal mammary artery. Implications for graft performance.
Circulation 1994; 90: 515–524.
23. Dzimiri N, Chester AH, Allen SP, et al. Vascular reactivity of arterial
coronary artery bypass grafts –implications for their performance. Clin
Cardiol 1996; 19: 165–171
24. He GW, Yang CQ. Comparison among arterial grafts and coronary
artery. An attempt at functional classification. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc
Surg 1995; 109: 707–715.
25. Jamroz-Wiśniewska A, Gertler A, Solomon G, et al . Leptin-induced
endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of peripheral arteries in lean and
obese rats: role of nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide and endothelium-
independent manner in human coronary artery. PLoS One 2014; 9:
86744.
26. Momin AU, Melikian N, Shah AM, et al. Leptin is an endothelial-
independent vasodilator in humans with coronary artery disease:
Evidence for tissue specificity of leptin resistance. Eur Heart J 2006;
27: 2294–2299.
27. Beltowski J. Leptin and atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis 2006; 189: 47–60.
28. Beltowski J. Role of leptin in blood pressure regulation and arterial
hypertension. J Hypertens 2006; 24: 789–801.
29. Koh KK, Park SM, Quon MJ. Leptin and cardiovascular disease:
response to therapeutic interventions. Circulation 2008; 117: 3238–3249.