Dead adipocytes, detected as crown-like structures (CLS), are prevalent in visceral fat depots of genetically obese mice

Incoronata Murano, Giorgio Barbatelli, Valentina Parisani, Camilla Latini, Giovanni Muzzonigro, Mario Castellucci, and Saverio Cinti

Human Normal Morphology, University of Ancona (Politecnica delle Marche), Ancona 60020

Corresponding Author: cinti{at}univpm.it

Accumulation of visceral fat is a key phenomenon in the onset of obesity-associated metabolic disorders. Macrophage infiltration induces chronic mild inflammation widely considered as a causative factor for insulin resistance and eventually diabetes. We previously showed that >90% of macrophages infiltrating the adipose tissue of obese animals and humans are arranged around dead adipocytes, forming characteristic crown-like structures (CLS). In this study we quantified CLS in visceral and subcutaneous depots from two strains of genetically obese mice, db/db and ob/ob. In both strains, CLS were prevalent in visceral compared with subcutaneous fat. Adipocyte size and CLS density exhibited a positive correlation both in visceral and in subcutaneous depots; however, the finding that adipocyte size was smallest and CLS density highest in visceral fat suggests a different susceptibility of visceral and subcutaneous adipocytes to death. Visceral fat CLS density was 3.4 times greater in db/db than in ob/ob animals, which at the age at which our experimental strain was used are more prone to glucose metabolic disorders.

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