Figure 1.

The inflammatory phenotype of expanding adipose tissue. Hypertrophic adipocytes and tissue resident immune cells experience phenotype changes that halt secretion of anti-inflammatory, protective cytokines to begin secretion of inflammatory adipokines and cytokines that act both locally and systemically to induce peripheral insulin resistance. The inflammatory reaction is sustained by adipocyte-derived chemoattractants such as C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP), and semaphorin 3A (SEMA3A).