Macrophage infiltrates with high levels of Toll-like receptor 4 expression in white adipose tissues of male Chinese

Zhang, H.-M.; Chen, L.-L.; Wang, L.; Xu, S.; Wang, X.; Yi, L.-L.; Chen, D.; Wu, Z.-H.; Zhang, J.-Y.; Liao, Y.-F.; Shang, J.

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2008.12.016

« Previous Next »Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases
Volume 19, Issue 10 , Pages 736-743, December 2009

Macrophage infiltrates with high levels of Toll-like receptor 4 expression in white adipose tissues of male Chinese

H.-M. Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
L.-L. Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, China
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 13907130286; fax: +86 027 65600947.
L. Wang
- Centre of Physical Examination, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
S. Xu
- Centre of Physical Examination, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
X. Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wuhan Polytechnic University Hospital, Wuhan, China
L.-L. Yi
- Department of Endocrinology, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
D. Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
Z.-H. Wu
- Department of Endocrinology, Xin Hua Hospital, Wuhan, China
J.-Y. Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, China
Y.-F. Liao
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, China
J. Shang
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Road, Wuhan, China

Received 17 July 2008; received in revised form 2 December 2008; accepted 29 December 2008. published online 09 April 2009.

Abstract

Background and aims

Macrophages and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) are involved in the inflammatory process of adipogenesis. This study aimed to characterize macrophage infiltrates and the associated TLR4 expression in different locations of white adipose tissues (WAT) of male Chinese and determine their correlations to adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

Methods and results

A total of 30 men, who were lean, overweight or with type 2 diabetes (T2D), were recruited. Their abdominal omental WAT (oWAT) and subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) were obtained. The contents of macrophages in oWAT and scWAT were quantified using anti-CD68 staining. The levels of TLR4 expression were analyzed by western blot assays and the adipocyte size was quantified, followed by linear regression analysis. Significantly higher numbers of macrophages (24.4±3.2 vs 6.1±2.9, p<0.001), associated with higher levels of TLR4 expression (0.59±0.19 vs 0.20±0.03, p<0.001), were observed in oWAT, as compared with that in scWAT. Furthermore, the levels of macrophage infiltrates and TLR4 expression in oWAT of subjects who were overweight or/and have T2D were significantly higher than that in the lean group. The average adipocyte diameters and cross-sectional areas in oWAT of subjects who were overweight were significantly greater than those in the lean group (p=0.003 and p=0.04, respectively). Importantly, the numbers of macrophage infiltrates were positively correlated to the levels of TLR4 expression, the sizes of adipocytes, the levels of body mass index and C-reactive protein, respectively.