Obesity-related vascular dysfunction persists after weight loss and is associated with decreased vascular glucagon-like peptide receptor in female rats

Obesity-related cardiovascular complications are a major health problem worldwide. Overconsumption of the Western diet is a well-known culprit for the development of obesity. Although short-term weight loss through switching from a Western diet to a normal diet is known to promote metabolic improvement, its short-term effects on vascular parameters are not well characterized. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), an incretin with vasculoprotective properties, is decreased in plasma from patients who are obese. We hypothesize that obesity causes persistent vascular dysfunction in association with the downregulation of vascular glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R). Female Wistar rats were randomized into three groups: lean received a chow diet for 28 wk, obese received a Western diet for 28 wk, and reverse obese received a Western diet for 18 wk followed by 12 wk of standard chow diet. The obese group exhibited increased body weight and body mass index, whereas the reverse obese group lost weight. Weight loss failed to reverse impaired vasodilation and high systolic blood pressure in obese rats. Strikingly, our results show that obese rats exhibit decreased serum levels of GLP-1 accompanied by decreased vascular GLP-1R expression. Weight loss recovered GLP-1 serum levels, however GLP-1R expression remained downregulated. Decreased Akt phosphorylation was observed in the obese and reverse obese group, suggesting that GLP-1/Akt signaling is persistently downregulated. Our results support that GLP-1 signaling is associated with obesity-related vascular dysfunction in females, and short-term weight loss does not guarantee recovery of vascular function. This study suggests that GLP-1R may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in obesity-related hypertension in females. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although short-term weight loss successfully improved metabolic parameters, it failed to correct vascular dysfunction present in obese female rats. Vascular GLP-1/Akt signaling was decreased in both obese rats and those with short-term weight loss, suggesting it may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in obesity-related persistent vascular dys-function in obese females.