Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a global health issue and developing new therapies
continues to be urgent. Inflammation is thought to participate in the pathogenesis of
obesity-induced insulin resistance and T2D, and is a potential target to treat this
disease. Circulating white blood cell (WBC) number or C-reactive protein (CRP)
concentration, which is a representative blood marker of the inflammation, can predict
the incidence of T2D. Recent studies have shown that obesity is accompanied by
chronic local inflammation in adipose tissue and increments of adipose tissue
macrophage (ATM) number. ATMs are involved in the deterioration of systemic
insulin sensitivity, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) contributes to the
migration of macrophages into fat and development of insulin resistance. Salicylate and
thiazolidinedione (TZD) affect immune cells in circulating blood or adipose tissue,
which leads to improved insulin sensitivity systemically. Pharmacological intervention
for chronic inflammation may provide a new approach to the treatment of T2D in the
future.
Keywords: Adipose tissue macrophage, Diabetes, Inflammation, Insulin
resistance, Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1.
