From Fat to Flame: Targeting Adipose Tissue in Chronic Inflammation and Exploring Therapeutic Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the complex interplay between obesity-induced inflammation and its role in the development of various metabolic disorders. Obesity, particularly visceral obesity, is characterized by low-grade chronic inflammation that contributes significantly to the onset of conditions such as atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The expansion of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) through adipocyte hypertrophy triggers inflammatory responses that have systemic effects. This Special Issue aims to delve into the molecular pathways and therapeutic opportunities within this context by providing a thorough update of recent biological observations including, but not limited to, the following areas:

1. Inflammatory Mechanisms in Obesity: An exploration of how VAT expansion leads to chronic inflammation and the systemic effects of cytokine and chemokine release.
2. The Role of Inflammasomes: An investigation into the activation of inflammasomes, particularly NLR family proteins, and their contribution to obesity-related inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.
3. The Role of the Immune System: An investigation into the alteration in the activation and dysfunction of infiltrating immune cells.
4. Clinical Implications and Outcomes: An examination of clinical studies highlighting the impact of DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 analogs, and SGLT2 inhibitors on inflammation markers, endothelial function, and arterial stiffness in patients.
5. Biomarkers: Identification of markers characterizing and/or predicting obesity-induced inflammation and cardiometabolic diseases, including epigenetic changes and miRNA.
6. The Impact of Lifestyle Changes on VAT features, obesity-induced inflammation, and associated co-morbidities.
7. Microbiota and Obesity: An investigation into how gut microbiota affects VAT function and adipose tissue inflammation.

Dr. Francesca Bianchi
Prof. Dr. Elena Dozio
Dr. Lucia La Sala
Guest Editors

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