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B Lymphocytes in Human Subcutaneous Adipose Crown‐Like Structures
Author(s) -
McDonnell Marie E.,
GanleyLeal Lisa M.,
Mehta Ankeeta,
Bigornia Sherman J.,
Mott Melanie,
Rehman Qasim,
Farb Melissa G.,
Hess Donald T.,
Joseph Lija,
Gokce Noyan,
Apovian Caroline M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1038/oby.2012.54
Subject(s) - insulin resistance , medicine , adipose tissue , cd19 , endocrinology , inflammation , b cell , cd3 , obesity , immunology , antigen , antibody , cd8 , peripheral blood
Accumulation of macrophages and T cells within crown‐like structures (CLS) in subcutaneous adipose tissue predicts disease severity in obesity‐related insulin resistance (OIR). Although rodent data suggest the B cell is an important feature of these lesions, B cells have not been described within the human CLS. In order to identify B cells in the human subcutaneous CLS (sCLS) in obese subjects and determine whether the presence of B cells predict insulin resistance, we examined archived samples of subcutaneous and omental fat from 32 obese men and women and related findings to clinical parameters. Using immunohistochemistry, we identified B (CD19 + ) and T cells (CD3 + ) within the sCLS and perivascular space. The presence and density of B cells (B cells per high‐power field (pHPF), T cells pHPF, and B cell:T cell (B:T) ratio) were compared with measures of insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)) and other variables. In 16 of 32 subjects (50%) CD19 + B cells were localized within sCLS and were relatively more numerous than T cells. HOMA was not different between subjects with CD19 + vs. CD19 − sCLS (5.5 vs. 5.3, P = 0.88). After controlling for diabetes and glycemia (hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c )), the B:T ratio correlated with current metformin treatment ( r = 0.89, P = 0.001). These results indicate that in human OIR, B cells are an integral component of organized inflammation in subcutaneous fat, and defining their role will lead to a better understanding of OIR pathogenesis and potentially impact treatment.