Etanercept Prevents Endothelial Dysfunction in Cafeteria Diet-Fed Rats

Background Obesity is associated with endothelial dysfunction and this relationship is probably mediated in part by inflammation. Objective: The current study evaluated the effects of etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitor, on endothelial and vascular reactivity, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) immunoreactivity, and serum and aortic concentrations of TNF-alpha in a diet-induced rat model. Design and results: Male weanling Wistar rats were exposed to a standard diet and cafeteria diet (CD) for 12 weeks and etanercept was administered during CD treatment. Isolated aortas of the rats were used for isometric tension recording. Carbachol-induced relaxant responses were impaired in CD-fed rats, while etanercept treatment improved these endothelium-dependent relaxations. No significant change was observed in papaverine- and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced relaxant responses. eNOS expression decreased in CD-fed rats, but no change was observed between etanercept-treated CD-fed rats and control rats. CD significantly increased both the serum and the aortic levels of TNF-alpha, while etanercept treatment suppressed these elevated levels. CD resulted in a significant increase in the body weight of the rats. Etanercept-treated (ETA) CD-fed rats gained less weight than both CD-fed and control rats.

Automated summary

The study found that the TNF-alpha inhibitor etanercept can improve endothelial dysfunction in obese rats and reduce the levels of TNF-alpha. In addition, etanercept can also reduce weight gain in obese rats.