Aged perivascular fat increases aortic stiffness and collagen deposition in mice
Removing surrounding adipose tissue reduced stiffness in aged mouse aortas, pointing to fat fibrosis as a contributor to arterial stiffening.
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · Buckley DJ et al. · Paper published 1 Oct 2026
In a study of young and old mice, researchers tested whether aortic perivascular adipose tissue alters arterial compliance with age. The team evaluated ex vivo aortic stiffness in young mice aged 4 to 6 months and old mice aged 22 to 25 months. They tested vessels either with the surrounding fat intact or with the fat removed. In young mice, aortic stiffness did not differ whether the tissue remained or was stripped away. In old mice, vessels with intact perivascular fat were significantly stiffer than cleaned aortas. The authors also examined structural changes in the surrounding fat layer. Aged mice showed significantly greater fat-specific collagen accumulation than young mice, indicating that fibrotic remodeling of this tissue promotes arterial stiffness.
Why it matters
Large artery stiffening is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease during aging. These findings show that aging perivascular fat actively contributes to vessel stiffness rather than remaining a neutral structural layer.
Caveats
The findings are based entirely on ex vivo measurements in mice and may not reflect in vivo conditions or human vascular physiology.
Written from the paper’s abstract, and every claim checked against it before publishing. Read the paper for the full methods and data.
The paper
Aged Aortic Perivascular Adipose Tissue Exacerbates Aortic Stiffness in Mice
Buckley DJ, Bogale K, Cuellar N et al.
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 1 Oct 2026 · Peer-reviewed
- Relevance
- Relevant
- News value
- Notable
- Evidence
- Animals
- Status
- Peer-reviewed
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