Inflammation triggers high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) secretion in adipose tissue, a potential link to obesity

MK Gunasekaran, W Viranaicken, AC Girard, F Festy… - Cytokine, 2013 - Elsevier
MK Gunasekaran, W Viranaicken, AC Girard, F Festy, M Cesari, R Roche, L Hoareau
Cytokine, 2013Elsevier
Background Low grade inflammation is one of the major metabolic disorders in case of
obesity due to variable secretion of adipose derived cytokines called adipokines. Recently
the nuclear protein HMGB1 was identified as an inflammatory alarmin in obesity associated
diseases. However HMGB1 role in adipose tissue inflammation is not yet studied. Objectives
The aim of this study was to prove the expression of HMGB1 in human adipose tissue and to
assess the levels of expression between normo-weight and obese individuals. Furthermore …
Background
Low grade inflammation is one of the major metabolic disorders in case of obesity due to variable secretion of adipose derived cytokines called adipokines. Recently the nuclear protein HMGB1 was identified as an inflammatory alarmin in obesity associated diseases. However HMGB1 role in adipose tissue inflammation is not yet studied.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to prove the expression of HMGB1 in human adipose tissue and to assess the levels of expression between normo-weight and obese individuals. Furthermore we determined which type of cells within adipose tissue is involved in HMGB1 production under inflammatory signal.
Methods
Western-blot was performed on protein lysates from human normo-weight and obese adipose tissue to study the differential HMGB1 expression. Human normo-weight adipose tissue, adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) and adipocytes were cultured and stimulated with LPS to induce inflammation. HMGB1, IL-6 and MCP-1 secretion and gene expression were quantified by ELISA and Q-PCR respectively, as well as cell death by LDH assay. HMGB1 translocation during inflammation was tracked down by immunofluorescence in ASCs.
Results
HMGB1 was expressed 2-fold more in adipose tissue from obese compared to normo-weight individuals. LPS led to an up-regulation in HMGB1 secretion and gene expression in ASCs, while no change was noticed in adipocytes. Moreover, this HMGB1 release was not attributable to any cell death. In LPS-stimulated ASCs, HMGB1 translocation from nucleus to cytoplasm was detectable at 12 h and the nuclear HMGB1 was completely drained out after 24 h of treatment.
Conclusion
The expression level studies between adipose tissue from normo-weight and obese individuals together with in vitro results strongly suggest that adipose tissue secretes HMGB1 in response to inflammatory signals which characterized obesity.
Elsevier