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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

An Adipocyte Cell Culture Model to Study the Impact of Protein and Micro-RNA Modulation on Adipocyte Function
Published on: May 4, 2021
A lipase-independent pathway of lipid release and immune modulation by adipocytes
Stephen E Flaherty1, Ambar Grijalva1, Xiaoyuan Xu1
1Department of Medicine, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 07043, USA.
Abstract:
To meet systemic metabolic needs, adipocytes release fatty acids and glycerol through the action of neutral lipases. Here, we describe a secondary pathway of lipid release from adipocytes that is independent of canonical lipolysis. We found that adipocytes release exosome-sized, lipid-filled vesicles (AdExos) that become a source of lipid for local macrophages. Adipose tissue from lean mice released ~1% of its lipid content per day via exosomes ex vivo, a rate that more than doubles in obese animals. AdExos and associated factors were sufficient to induce in vitro differentiation of bone marrow precursors into adipose tissue macrophage-like cells. Thus, AdExos are both an alternative pathway of local lipid release and a mechanism by which parenchymal cells can modulate tissue macrophage differentiation and function.
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