Figure 1.

Increased serum chemerin was associated with insulin resistance and cardiac dysfunction in HFD mice

WT mice were subjected to normal diet (ND) or high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 20 weeks.

(A) Body weight of ND and HFD mice n = 6.

(B and C) Glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) and insulin tolerance tests (ITTs) were performed in ND and HFD WT mice. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, HFD vs. ND n = 6.

(D) The levels of serum chemerin in both ND and HFD mice n = 6.

(E) Western blots and its quantification of chemerin and its main receptor (CMKLR1) in the heart. The HSP90 was used as a loading control (n = 3). ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, HFD vs. ND.

(F) Representative cross-sections of the heart that were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), and Oil red O (ORO), and the quantification of cardiomyocyte sizes with WGA staining. ∗∗∗∗p < 0.0001, HFD vs. ND, n = 6, scale bar = 50μm.

(G) Representative systolic and diastolic echocardiography images of ND and HFD mice.

(H–L) E/A ratio, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), fractional shortening (FS), Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), diastolic left ventricular internal dimension (LVID; D) were measured by echocardiography. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, HFD vs. ND, n = 6.