Human adipose tissue accumulation is associated with pro-inflammatory changes in subcutaneous rather than visceral adipose tissue

I Kralova Lesna,M Petras,J Fronek,A Sekerkova,F Thieme,A Kralova,L Janousek,S Cejkova,R Poledne

doi:10.1038/nutd.2017.15

I Kralova Lesna, M Petras + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/nutd.2017.15

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Abstract

The importance of the involvement of adipose tissue macrophage subpopulations in obesity-related disorders is well known from different animal models, but human data are scarcer. Subcutaneous (n=44) and visceral (n=52) adipose tissues of healthy living kidney donors were obtained during living donor nephrectomy. Stromal vascular fractions were isolated and analysed by flow cytometry using CD14, CD16, CD36 and CD163 antibodies. Total macrophage numbers in subcutaneous adipose tissue increased (P=0.02) with body mass index (BMI), with a similar increase seen in the proportion of phagocytic CD14+CD16+CD36high macrophages (P<0.01). On the other hand, there was an inverse correlation between anti-inflammatory CD14+CD16−CD163+ macrophages (P<0.05) and BMI. These correlations disappeared after excluding obese subjects (BMI ⩾30 kg m−2) from the analysis. Interestingly, none of these subpopulations were significantly related to BMI in visceral adipose tissue. Obesity per se is associated with distinct, highly phagocytic macrophage accumulation in human subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Highlights

Adipose tissue is composed of distinct cell types in addition to adipocytes
There was a borderline significant relation of body mass index (BMI) to anti-inflammatory CD14+CD16 − CD163+ macrophages (P o 0.03, Figure 1d) but this correlation disappeared after excluding subjects with obesity
The living kidney donor nephrectomies provided us with a unique opportunity to compare the importance of different types of human adipose tissue in healthy subjects

Summary

Introduction

Adipocyte expansion is associated with immune cell recruitment of obese adipose tissue both in experimental models and in man[1,2] and a close interplay between immune cells and adipocytes has been proven.[3,4] New findings highlight the principal role of macrophages in obesity-driven changes of adipose tissue,[5] including (but not limited to) hypoxia, altered secretion profiles and inflammatory changes (reviewed in Exley et al.[6]). The interplay of pro-inflammatory and antiinflammatory macrophages might influence the ultimate effect of adipose tissue cumulating triglycerides in obesity

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