The many secret lives of adipocytes: implications for diabetes

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

104 Scopus citations

Abstract

Adipose tissue remains a cryptic organ. The ubiquitous presence of adipocytes, the different fat pads in distinct anatomical locations, the many different types of fat, in each case with their distinct precursor populations, and the ability to interchange into other types of fat cells or even de-differentiate altogether, offers a staggering amount of complexity to the adipose tissue organ as a whole. Adipose tissue holds the key to improving our understanding of systemic metabolic homeostasis. As such, understanding adipose tissue physiology offers the basis for a mechanistic understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetes. This review presents some of the lesser known aspects of this fascinating tissue, which consistently still offers much opportunity for the discovery of novel targets for pharmacological intervention.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)223-232
Number of pages10
JournalDiabetologia
Volume62
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2019

Keywords

  • Adipokines
  • Adiponectin
  • Ceramides
  • De-differentiation
  • Exosomes
  • Fibrosis
  • Inflammation
  • Review
  • Sphingolipids
  • Vascularisation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

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