Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Isolation, Characterization, and Purification of Macrophages from Tissues Affected by Obesity-related Inflammation
Published on: April 3, 2017
Metabolic complications of obesity: inflated or inflamed?
Manisha Chandalia1, Nicola Abate
1Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dallas, TX 75390-9169, USA. Manisha.chandalia@UTSouthwestern.edu
Abstract:
Adipose tissue dysfunction rather than excess adipose tissue mass (defined as obesity) is mechanistically related to development of metabolic diseases traditionally linked to obesity: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Inflammation of adipose tissue seems to be an important manifestation of adipose tissue dysfunction and closely relates to insulin resistance, the mediator of obesity-related morbidity. However, it is not completely clear whether inflammation in adipose tissue leads to first, local, and then systemic insulin resistance or insulin resistance leads to adipose tissue inflammation, which, in turn, increases insulin resistance. These questions can only be answered by studying models of insulin resistance, independent of obesity. The conceptual shift from adipose tissue mass to adipose tissue function will have significant diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Our efforts in establishing markers to identify "at risk" population and finding newer therapeutic agents must focus on adipose tissue dysfunction and not on obesity alone.
Related Concept Videos
Obesity
Complications of Diabetes Mellitus
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Hyperglycemia
Acute Pancreatitis II: Pathophysiology
