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SPARC: a key player in the pathologies associated with obesity and diabetes

Katarina Kos1, John P H Wilding

  • 1Department of Diabetes and Vascular Medicine, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, Exeter EX2 5DW, UK. katarina.kos@pcmd.ac.uk

Nature Reviews. Endocrinology
|March 3, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is linked to obesity and insulin resistance. This profibrotic protein may connect obesity to diabetes complications by promoting adipose tissue fibrosis.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Extracellular Matrix Biology

Background:

  • Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a profibrotic protein implicated in various conditions.
  • SPARC is linked to human obesity, with adipose tissue-derived SPARC associated with insulin resistance.
  • SPARC secretion by adipose tissue is upregulated by insulin and leptin, and it contributes to adipose tissue fibrosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of SPARC in the pathology of obesity.
  • To explore the connection between SPARC, adipose tissue fibrosis, and metabolic complications.
  • To investigate SPARC as a potential link between obesity and diabetes mellitus.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on SPARC, obesity, and metabolic diseases.
  • Analysis of the role of SPARC in extracellular matrix regulation and adipose tissue fibrosis.
  • Examination of evidence from human studies and Sparc-knockout mouse models.

Main Results:

  • Obesity is associated with increased adipose tissue fibrosis, partly mediated by SPARC.
  • SPARC-induced fibrosis can impair triglyceride storage in subcutaneous adipose tissue, leading to ectopic lipid deposition.
  • Ectopic lipid accumulation in tissues like the liver and skeletal muscle contributes to insulin resistance.

Conclusions:

  • SPARC is a key player in the development of obesity-related adipose tissue fibrosis.
  • SPARC may represent a critical link between obesity and the pathogenesis of diabetes complications.
  • Targeting SPARC could offer a novel therapeutic strategy for obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

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