Visfatin enhances ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression through ROS-dependent NF-κB activation in endothelial cells

Visfatin has recently been identified as a novel visceral adipokine which may be involved in obesity-related vascular disorders. However, it is not known whether visfatin directly contributes to endothelial dysfunction. Here, we investigated the effect of visfatin on vascular inflammation, a key step in a variety of vascular diseases. Visfatin induced leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and the aortic endothelium by induction of the cell adhesion molecules, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Promoter analysis revealed that visfatin-mediated induction of CAMs is mainly regulated by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Visfatin stimulated IκBα phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB, and NF-κB DNA binding activity in HMECs. Furthermore, visfatin increased ROS generation, and visfatin-induced CAMs expression and NF-κB activation were abrogated in the presence of the direct scavenger of ROS. Taken together, our results demonstrate that visfatin is a vascular inflammatory molecule that increases expression of the inflammatory CAMs, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, through ROS-dependent NF-κB activation in endothelial cells.