Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Knockout Promotes Adipose Fatty Acid Oxidation and Attenuates Insulin Resistance and Hepatic Steatosis in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

摘要

Substantial evidence indicates that adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction and lipid spillover in obesity promote insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is one of the pro-inflammatory cytokines overexpressed in obesity and its knockout (KO) attenuates diet-induced adiposity, lipid deposition in the liver and insulin resistance. However, the potential roles played by TNFα in fatty acid metabolism in AT have been incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of TNFα in obesity-induced insulin resistance with the goal of providing a potential target for therapeutics.