Potential mechanism by which iroquois homeobox 3 regulates the browning of perivascular adipose tissue in vascular injury

• IRX3 is highly expressed in brown adipose tissue and its expression increases during brown adipocyte differentiation, suggesting a role in browning. • IRX3 regulates browning by targeting retinol saturase (RetSat), as knockdown of IRX3 reduces RetSat and browning markers, while RetSat overexpression rescues the browning phenotype. • In diabetic perivascular adipose tissue, browning-related genes (UCP1, PRDM16, CIDEA) are downregulated, and IRX3 expression is reduced, implicating IRX3 in vascular injury. • Single-cell analysis reveals IRX3 is specifically expressed in adipocyte subpopulations, and its modulation may offer a therapeutic strategy for vascular injury by promoting perivascular adipose tissue browning.