# Elucidating the Role of Adipokines in Mediating and Predicting HF Associated with Obesity

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $789,451

## Abstract

Heart failure is a major clinical and public health challenge, with marked associated morbidity and mortality.
Obesity is strongly linked to myocardial dysfunction and subsequent heart failure (HF), but this association is
poorly explained by traditional risk factors, and standard HF risk prediction algorithms perform relatively poorly
in obesity. Despite increasing focus in guidelines on averting HF onset, strategies to predict and prevent HF in
obesity are limited. Adipokines are molecules secreted by adipose tissue that likely mediate many of the
clinical consequences of obesity. Laboratory data suggest effects of several adipokines on cardiac structure
and function. While some clinical studies suggest a role of established adipokines (leptin, resistin, adiponectin)
in mediating the obesity-HF association, clinical findings have been inconsistent, and risk associations for
novel adipokines (visfatin, apelin) are not defined. Despite increasing recognition of the predominance of HF
with preserved ejection fraction (vs reduced ejection fraction; HFpEF vs HFrEF) in obesity, adipokine studies to
date have not separately described risk for these pathophysiologically distinct conditions. Additionally, there is
need to understand the association of adipokines with subclinical cardiac biomarkers linked to HF risk in
obesity, the clinical implications of longitudinal changes in adipokines, and the impact of weight loss on these
risk associations. This project will combine serum assays of a carefully selected panel of established and novel
adipokines and new adjudication of HFpEF and HFrEF cases in the well established ARIC study with adipose
tissue adipokine expression studies among bariatric surgery patients in the Geisinger Obesity Institute
Registry, to fully characterize the role of adipokines in mediating and predicting HF related to obesity. We
propose: Aim 1: To relate established and novel adipokines in 11,656 ARIC participants to (A)
demographics, weight history and physical activity, and B) subclinical and (C) clinical HF (~2200
events); Aim 2: To relate longitudinal trajectories of adipokines from late midlife to older age in a
sample of 1,000 ARIC participants selected on cardiac function, to cardiac remodeling by
echocardiogram, cardiac biomarkers and incident HF; and Aim 3: To assess (A) the associations of
adipokine expression in visceral adipocytes with circulating adipokine concentrations and cardiac
biomarkers in 300 bariatric surgery patients, and (B) the association of adipokine trajectories after
bariatric surgery with changes in cardiac biomarker levels. This proposal will advance our understanding
of the link of obesity to myocardial dysfunction and HF, and will be executed by a strong interdisciplinary team,
including Dr. Ndumele who is transitioning from productive mentored research to independent investigator
status.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10130606
- **Project number:** 5R01HL146907-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Chiadi E Ndumele
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $789,451
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10130606

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10130606, Elucidating the Role of Adipokines in Mediating and Predicting HF Associated with Obesity (5R01HL146907-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10130606. Licensed CC0.

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