T reg-specific insulin receptor deletion prevents diet-induced and age-associated metabolic syndrome

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Adipose tissue (AT) regulatory T cells (T regs) control inflammation and metabolism. Diet-induced obesity causes hyperinsulinemia and diminishes visceral AT (VAT) T reg number and function, but whether these two phenomena were mechanistically linked was unknown. Using a T reg-specific insulin receptor (Insr) deletion model, we found that diet-induced T reg dysfunction is driven by T reg-intrinsic insulin signaling. Compared with Foxp3cre mice, after 13 wk of high-fat diet, Foxp3creInsrfl/fl mice exhibited improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, effects associated with lower AT inflammation and increased numbers of ST2+ T regs in brown AT, but not VAT. Similarly, Foxp3creInsrfl/fl mice were protected from the metabolic effects of aging, but surprisingly had reduced VAT T regs and increased VAT inflammation compared with Foxp3cre mice. Thus, in both diet- and aging-associated hyperinsulinemia, excessive Insr signaling in T regs leads to undesirable metabolic outcomes. Ablation of Insr signaling in T regs represents a novel approach to mitigate the detrimental effects of hyperinsulinemia on immunoregulation of metabolic syndrome.

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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