Abstract P344: High Fat Diet Increases Inflammatory Gene Expression In Perivascular Adipose Tissue And Mesenteric Lymph Nodes Prior To Hypertension In Dahl S Rats

There are considerable data to suggest an association between inflammation and cardiovascular disease, including a link between the immune system and hypertension. Our previous studies indicated an increase in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines by activated T cells cultured in media conditioned with perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) taken from Dahl S rats on a high fat diet (HFD). Notably this effect preceded the development of hypertension in these animals. The purpose of the present studies was to test the hypothesis that high fat diet promotes inflammatory gene expression in immune cells in mesenteric PVAT and mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN) of Dahl S rats prior to the development of hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we isolated the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from mPVAT and cells from mLN from Dahl S rats on high fat diet for 10 weeks for single cell RNA-sequencing analysis. In the mPVAT SVF we found an increase in the expression of acute inflammatory genes, including Tnfa , and genes associated with T cell chemotaxis, such as Cxcr3 and Cxcl11 . Conversely, there was also an increase in genes that negatively regulate immune response and adipokine expression in mPVAT SVF from Dahl S rats on HFD. In mLN, we found an increase in genes associated with IL-3 signaling in CD8 T cells and in genes associated with NFκB signaling in CD4 T cells (Fig. 1). Taken together, these data suggest an increase in acute inflammatory signaling in cells in mPVAT and mLN from Dahl S rats on HFD.