AsianScientist (Jul. 26, 2016) – In obese mice, deficiencies in a hormone secreted by fat cells impair the formation of infection-fighting white blood cells, researchers have found.
The work, which was published in Immunity, reveals the relationship between abnormalities in metabolism associated with obesity and blood cell formation. It also provides a mechanism linking obesity to severe infection, which until now has largely remained a mystery.
To identify the relationship between obesity and infection, the research group of Professor Mineo Kurokawa, Assistant Professor Yosuke Masamoto and colleagues at the University of Tokyo first fed mice a high-fat diet to make them obese. Compared to those on normal diets, the obese mice showed decreased levels of the adiponectin hormone in their bone marrow due to improperly-functioning fat cells.
The decreased levels of adiponectin led to increased production of an inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), in the bone marrow. In the presence of TNF, the formation of white blood cells from hematopoietic progenitor cells was suppressed, thus exacerbating infection. Treatment with adiponectin, however, was effective in preventing the infections from worsening.
“In the current study, we revealed impaired hematopoietic response against infection in obesity,” said Masamoto. “The fact that adiponectin plays an important role for emergency granulopoiesis (granulocyte formation) in response to infection will pave the way to a novel therapeutic approach.”
The article can be found at: Masamoto et al. (2016) Adiponectin Enhances Antibacterial Activity of Hematopoietic Cells by Suppressing Bone Marrow Inflammation.
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Source: University of Tokyo; Photo: Shutterstock.
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