Fig. 3

PVMs molecular adaptations in response to a high-fat diet, and their crosstalk with surrounding cells. The hypothalamic inflammatory response triggered by the consumption of a high-fat diet for a short or long time promotes changes in PVMs and in the cells that make contact with them. The crosstalk between PVMs and endothelial cells regulates microvessel permeability, throughout iNOS and eNOS production, facilitating LysM + myeloid cells infiltration into the hypothalamic parenchyma; reducing glucose transport through reduction of GLUT1, and changing the HPA axis throughout modulation of COX-1 and PGE2 expression on endothelial cells. The astrocytes, on the other hand, mediate angiogenesis throughout the activation of HIF1-VEGF signaling under leptin action. Pericytes express leptin receptor (LepR) and play a critical role by mediating leptin transport into the hypothalamus, but their crosstalk with PVMs is still unexplored