Chronic hyperinsulinemia accelerates adipose senescence via mitochondrial dysfunction and cGAS-STING signalling

Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes represent major global health challenges and have escalated to pandemic levels. Adipose tissue functions as a critical endocrine organ, playing a central role in maintaining glucose homeostasis during fasting, feeding, and stress responses. In this study, we demonstrated that prolonged chronic hyperinsulinemic stress increases the burden of senescent adipocytes, accompanied by activation of the cGAS-STING signalling pathway. Chronic hyperinsulinemia-induced insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 and human mesenchymal stem cell-derived adipocytes exhibited elevated senescence-associated phenotypes, mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired cellular energetics. Notably, we found that mitochondrial DNA leakage triggered the cGAS-STING pathway in insulin-resistant adipocytes and mouse models. Temporal analysis revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction was detectable at earlier stages of chronic insulin exposure, preceding activation of the cGAS-STING pathway and senescence-associated markers, supporting a progressive model of cellular dysfunction. This phenomenon was also observed in adipose depots of individuals with Type 2 diabetes, underscoring the translational relevance of our findings. Targeting cGAS or STING, either pharmacologically or through genetic silencing, significantly reduced inflammatory and senescence-related features in hyperinsulinemia-induced insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Furthermore, attenuation of senescence treatment with the combination of Dasatinib and Quercetin alleviated mitochondrial stress and associated adipose dysfunction. Collectively, our findings support a model in which prolonged hyperinsulinemic stress induces early mitochondrial dysfunction, followed by activation of cGAS-STING signalling and the subsequent emergence of adipocyte senescence-associated phenotypes, contributing to adipose tissue dysfunction in insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.