An adipocentric view of the development of insulin resistance

PhD ceremony: Ms. E. Szalowska, 13.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Title: An adipocentric view of the development of insulin resistance

Promotor(s): prof. R.J. Vonk

Faculty: Medical Sciences

Adipose tissue is well known for its role in energy storage. More recently, it is also acknowledged as an endocrine organ secreting numerous adipokines. In obesity, the adipokine secretory profile may change, leading to deregulation of the adipose tissue metabolism and systemic insulin resistance.The aim of this thesis was to study the role of adipose tissue in the development of insulin resistance and the expression of genes and proteins. In patients with decreased insulin sensitivity researcher Szalowska observed that metabolic genes showed a decreased expression, while expression of pro-inflammatory genes was not altered. This suggests that metabolic alterations in the adipose tissue precede inflammation. Additionally it was found that both adipose tissue and the liver display a unique pattern of gene/protein expression, suggesting that tissue specific proteins could be used as biomarkers to detect tissue specific insulin resistance.