Systemic Nanoparticle‐Mediated Delivery of Pantetheinase Vanin‐1 Regulates Lipolysis and Adiposity in Abdominal White Adipose Tissue

Abstract Lipolysis in white adipose tissue (WAT) occurs in response to nutritional signals and helps to regulate lipid turnover/adiposity in animals. However, the causal relationships and the mechanisms controlling WAT morphology are not clear. In this report, Vanin‐1, a pantetheinase, is shown to be a novel determinant for lipolysis and adiposity. The expression of Vanin‐1 in the abdominal WAT is positively correlated with lipolysis both in mice and in humans. Mice with global Vanin‐1 deficiency exhibit adipocyte hypertrophy and impaired lipolysis. Use of a nanosystem comprising P3‐peptide, chitosan oligosaccharide lactate, and polyethylene glycol that controls Vanin‐1 expression in the abdominal WAT shows that WAT‐specific Vanin‐1 knockdown blocks fasting‐induced lipolysis and prevents WAT loss. However, WAT‐specific Vanin‐1 mRNA restoration rescues impaired lipolysis and improves glucose/insulin intolerance in diabetic db/db mice. Mechanistically, Vanin‐1 induces PPAR γ activity and subsequently facilitates its activation on the proximal promoters of lipolytic genes. Thus, an essential role of Vanin‐1 in the regulation of lipolysis and adiposity is revealed, and a functional RNA delivering strategy for specific intervention of Vanin‐1 expression in WAT is shown. These findings provide a promising approach to treat metabolic diseases caused by dysregulation of Vanin‐1 and lipolysis.