Studies of regional adipose transplantation reveal a unique and beneficial interaction between subcutaneous adipose tissue and the intra-abdominal compartment.

Description

Debate is currently ongoing as to whether the metabolic consequences of intra-abdominal obesity are caused by its anatomical location or by some specific properties of adipocytes located in the abdominal cavity. To address this question, Hocking et al. published a research letter in Diabetelogia based on the hypothesis that, independent of their anatomical location, the intrinsic properties of these adipocytes are responsible for their atherogenic effects. In mice, the authors found that transplanting intra-abdominal fat into subcutaneous fat had no effect on the metabolism of the recipient animal. However, transplanting subcutaneous fat into intra-abdominal cavities had a major impact on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, supporting the hypothesis that intra-abdominal adipocytes have atherogenic properties due to their physiology and not their anatomical location.