Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes

White adipose tissue

Biology

Endocrinology

Homeostasis

Bioinformatics

Adipokine

Insulin resistance

Inflammation

Internal medicine

Medicine

Obesity

Adipose tissue

Glucose homeostasis

Diabetes mellitus

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Adipose tissue may become severely dysfunctional during obesity, resulting in disrupted metabolic homeostasis and ultimately type 2 diabetes. Here, Scherer and colleagues provide an overview of adipose tissue development, function and homeostasis, focusing on emerging potential strategies for targeting this organ in the treatment of obesity-associated diabetes. Adipose tissue regulates numerous physiological processes, and its dysfunction in obese humans is associated with disrupted metabolic homeostasis, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although several US-approved treatments for obesity and T2DM exist, these are limited by adverse effects and a lack of effective long-term glucose control. In this Review, we provide an overview of the role of adipose tissue in metabolic homeostasis and assess emerging novel therapeutic strategies targeting adipose tissue, including adipokine-based strategies, promotion of white adipose tissue beiging as well as reduction of inflammation and fibrosis.

Targeting adipose tissue in the treatment of obesity-associated diabetes