Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 320, Issue 3, Pages C375-C391Publisher
AMER PHYSIOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00379.2020
Keywords
adipocytes; immunity; inflammation; insulin resistance; obesity
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [DK096521]
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [HL141108, HL117724]
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Chronic low-grade inflammation of adipose tissue is linked to metabolic disease and organ complications, mainly caused by the secretion of inflammatory substances by adipocytes and infiltration of immune cells. Despite being low-grade, this inflammation negatively impacts remote organ function and is considered a causative factor of obesity-related complications.
Several lines of preclinical and clinical research have confirmed that chronic low-grade inflammation of adipose tissue is mechanistically linked to metabolic disease and organ tissue complications in the overweight and obese organism. Despite this widely confirmed paradigm, numerous open questions and knowledge gaps remain to be investigated. This is mainly due to the intricately intertwined cross-talk of various pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling cascades involved in the immune response of expanding adipose depots, particularly the visceral adipose tissue. Adipose tissue inflammation is initiated and sustained over time by dysfunctional adipocytes that secrete inflammatory adipokines and by infiltration of bone marrow-derived immune cells that signal via production of cytokines and chemokines. Despite its low-grade nature, adipose tissue inflammation negatively impacts remote organ function, a phenomenon that is considered causative of the complications of obesity. The aim of this review is to broadly present an overview of adipose tissue inflammation by highlighting the most recent reports in the scientific literature and summarizing our overall understanding of the field. We also discuss key endogenous anti-inflammatory mediators and analyze their mechanistic role(s) in the pathogenesis and treatment of adipose tissue inflammation. In doing so, we hope to stimulate studies to uncover novel physiological, cellular, and molecular targets for the treatment of obesity.
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