Adipose Tissue Remodeling as Homeostatic Inflammation

Figure 2

Molecular mechanism underlying adipose tissue inflammation. During the course of obesity, adipose tissue secretes several chemotactic factors to induce macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. Circulating monocytes migrate and infiltrate into adipose tissue through adhesion process to endothelial cells. Macrophages enhance the inflammatory changes through the crosstalk with parenchymal adipocytes. For example, the macrophage-derived tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) induces the release of saturated fatty acids from adipocytes via lipolysis, which, in turn, induces inflammatory changes in macrophages via TLR4. Such a paracrine loop between adipocytes and macrophages constitutes a vicious cycle, thereby further accelerating adipose tissue inflammation. TNF-R, TNFα receptor.