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Obesity

Macrophage mitochondrial levels of iron affect adipose tissue function in obesity

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 19, page 3 (2023)Cite this article

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Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) help maintain white adipocyte function but can become dysfunctional in obesity. ATMs can lose the ability to regulate intracellular levels of iron during obesity, leading to white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. A new study in Nature Metabolism investigates the impact of mitochondrial levels of iron in ATMs on WAT function in the context of obesity.

The researchers hypothesised that Mac-MitoNEETTG mice would be protected from adipocyte dysfunction and increased inflammation during obesity, while these effects would be exacerbated in Mac-FtmtTG mice. After 20 weeks of high fat diet (HFD)-feeding with doxycycline to induce MitoNEET overexpression, Mac-MitoNEETTG mice gained less body weight than wild-type controls, due specifically to reduced subcutaneous and epididymal WAT (eWAT) mass. Mac-MitoNEETTG mice also had improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared with wild-type controls, as well as a shift in ATM phenotype towards a more anti-inflammatory, M2-like state. In contrast, Mac-FtmtTG mice had a greater degree of body weight gain, increased insulin resistance and increased WAT inflammation compared with controls.

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  1. Nature Reviews Endocrinology http://www.nature.com/nrendo/

    Olivia Tysoe

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  1. Olivia Tysoe
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Correspondence to Olivia Tysoe.

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Tysoe, O. Macrophage mitochondrial levels of iron affect adipose tissue function in obesity. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 3 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00781-5

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