Published: 2023-09-05
Total Pages: 103
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Obesity is increasing in epidemic proportions worldwide. A low-grade inflammation caused by obesity leads to its many inflammation-associated complications, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, accelerated atherosclerosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis that can lead to liver cirrhosis, heart failure, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. This systemic inflammation is due to profound changes in the adipose tissue microenvironment, at the heart of which is the adipocyte. Increasing evidence suggests the adipocyte not only stores excess energy, but initiates an escalating pro-inflammatory cascade in adipose tissue during high-fat diet. The adipocyte secretes over 50 cytokines and hormones that both enhance and suppress inflammation, secretes extracellular matrix proteins that impact inflammation, produces and releases toxic lipids that aggravate inflammation, and, more recently, was shown to present antigen to activate CD4+ T cells. Although discovered several decades ago, studies continue to identify pro-inflammatory roles for leptin and anti-inflammatory activities for adiponectin, hormones secreted in large amounts by the adipocyte.