Given the role of intra-abdominal (visceral) adipose tissue accumulation in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance, the hypothesis that macrophage infiltration of intra-abdominal adipose tissue is an important mechanism linking intra-abdominal adipose tissue and insulin resistance is gaining in popularity. It has previously been reported that macrophages infiltrated in adipose tissue surround dead adipocytes and form crown-like structures. In this investigation, Murano et al. sought to determine whether this phenomenon was observed across genetically obese mice strains such as the db/db and ob/ob mice. They found that in both strains, the prevalence of crown-like structures was more frequent in intra-abdominal than subcutaneous adipose tissue. It was also reported that crown-like structure density was 3.4-fold higher in db/db mice than in ob/ob mice. As db/db mice are more likely to develop glucose-insulin homeostasis abnormalities, the authors suggested that macrophage infiltration of intra-abdominal adipose tissue could play a very important role in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance.
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