Blockade of class IB phosphoinositide-3 kinase ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 5;108(14):5753-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1016430108. Epub 2011 Mar 21.

Abstract

Obesity and insulin resistance, the key features of metabolic syndrome, are closely associated with a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation characterized by abnormal macrophage infiltration into adipose tissues. Although it has been reported that chemokines promote leukocyte migration by activating class IB phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3Kγ) in inflammatory states, little is known about the role of PI3Kγ in obesity-induced macrophage infiltration into tissues, systemic inflammation, and the development of insulin resistance. In the present study, we used murine models of both diet-induced and genetically induced obesity to examine the role of PI3Kγ in the accumulation of tissue macrophages and the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance. Mice lacking p110γ (Pik3cg(-/-)), the catalytic subunit of PI3Kγ, exhibited improved systemic insulin sensitivity with enhanced insulin signaling in the tissues of obese animals. In adipose tissues and livers of obese Pik3cg(-/-) mice, the numbers of infiltrated proinflammatory macrophages were markedly reduced, leading to suppression of inflammatory reactions in these tissues. Furthermore, bone marrow-specific deletion and pharmacological blockade of PI3Kγ also ameliorated obesity-induced macrophage infiltration and insulin resistance. These data suggest that PI3Kγ plays a crucial role in the development of both obesity-induced inflammation and systemic insulin resistance and that PI3Kγ can be a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / cytology
  • Animals
  • Class Ib Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase / genetics
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Histological Techniques
  • Inflammation / drug therapy*
  • Inflammation / etiology
  • Insulin Resistance*
  • Liver / cytology
  • Macrophages / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Obesity / complications*
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors*
  • Quinoxalines / pharmacology
  • Thiazolidinediones / pharmacology

Substances

  • 5-quinoxalin-6-ylmethylenethiazolidine-2,4-dione
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Quinoxalines
  • Thiazolidinediones
  • Class Ib Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase