Immune Modulation of Adipocyte Mitochondrial Metabolism

Immune cells infiltrate adipose tissue as a function of age, sex, and diet, leading to a variety of regulatory processes linked to metabolic disease and dysfunction. Cytokines and chemokines produced by resident macrophages, B cells, T cells and eosinophils play major role(s) in fat cell mitochondrial functions modulating pyruvate oxidation, electron transport and oxidative stress, branched chain amino acid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and apoptosis. Indeed, cytokine-dependent downregulation of numerous genes affecting mitochondrial metabolism is strongly linked to the development of the metabolic syndrome, whereas the potentiation of mitochondrial metabolism represents a counterregulatory process improving metabolic outcomes. In contrast, inflammatory cytokines activate mitochondrially linked cell death pathways such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis. As such, the adipocyte mitochondrion represents a major intersection point for immunometabolic regulation of central metabolism.