Adipose Tissue Lymphocytes and Obesity

Authors

Feng Gao
Benjamin Litchfield
Huaizhu Wu

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal

The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging

DOI

10.20517/jca.2023.38

PMID

38455510

PMCID

PMC10919906

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

3-7-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Obesity, adipose tissue, insulin resistance, T cells, B cells

Abstract

Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation in adipose tissue (AT), mainly evidenced by infiltration and phenotypic changes of various types of immune cells. Macrophages are the major innate immune cells and represent the predominant immune cell population within AT. Lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells, are adaptive immune cells and constitute another important immune cell population in AT. In obesity, CD8+ effector memory T cells, CD4+ Th1 cells, and B2 cells are increased in AT and promote AT inflammation, while regulatory T cells and Th2 cells, which usually function as immune regulatory or type 2 inflammatory cells, are reduced in AT. Immune cells may regulate the metabolism of adipocytes and other cells through various mechanisms, contributing to the development of metabolic diseases, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Efforts targeting immune cells and inflammation to prevent and treat obesity-linked metabolic disease have been explored, but have not yielded significant success in clinical studies. This review provides a concise overview of the changes in lymphocyte populations within AT and their potential role in AT inflammation and the regulation of metabolic functions in the context of obesity.

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