Isolation and Analysis of Stromal Vascular Cells from Visceral Adipose Tissue

The obesity epidemic is the underlying driver of the type 2 diabetes mellitus epidemic. A remarkable accumulation of various pro-inflammatory immune cells in adipose tissues is a hallmark of obesity and leads to pathogenesis of tissue inflammation and insulin resistance. Here, we describe a detailed protocol to isolate adipose tissue stromal vascular cells (SVCs), which enrich various immune cells of adipose tissues. These SVCs can be used to examine the population and activation status of immune cells by tracking their cell surface antigens, gene expression, and activation of specific signaling pathways.