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Review
. 2024 Aug 16:15:1374715.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1374715. eCollection 2024.

Contents of exosomes derived from adipose tissue and their regulation on inflammation, tumors, and diabetes

Yanwen Wang  1   2 , Qingfeng Li  2 , Shuangbai Zhou  2 , Pohching Tan  2
Affiliations
Review

Contents of exosomes derived from adipose tissue and their regulation on inflammation, tumors, and diabetes

Yanwen Wang et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Adipose tissue (AT) serves as an energy-capacitive organ and performs functions involving paracrine- and endocrine-mediated regulation via extracellular vesicles (EVs) secretion. Exosomes, a subtype of EVs, contain various bioactive molecules with regulatory effects, such as nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. AT-derived exosomes (AT-exos) include exosomes derived from various cells in AT, including adipocytes, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), macrophages, and endothelial cells. This review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the impacts of different AT-exos on the regulation of physiological and pathological processes. The contents and functions of adipocyte-derived exosomes and ADSC-derived exosomes are compared simultaneously, highlighting their similarities and differences. The contents of AT-exos have been shown to exert complex regulatory effects on local inflammation, tumor dynamics, and insulin resistance. Significantly, differences in the cargoes of AT-exos have been observed among diabetes patients, obese individuals, and healthy individuals. These differences could be used to predict the development of diabetes mellitus and as therapeutic targets for improving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. However, further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and potential applications of AT-exos.

Keywords: adipose tissue; adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC); diabetes; exosome; inflammation; tumor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences between adipocyte-exos and ADSC-exos. The diameters of the adipocyte-exos were from 30 nm to 200 nm. However, the diameters of the ADSC-exos ranged from 30 nm to 150 nm, with the peak diameters reaching 200 nm. In addition to conventional exosomal markers, both adipocyte-exos and ADSC-exos have unique exosomal markers. The compositions of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids in the adipocyte-exos and ADSC-exos were also different. FABP4, fatty acid binding protein 4; FAO, fatty acid oxidation; ECHA, trifunctional enzyme subunit alpha; HCDH, hydroxy carboxylic acid dehydrogenase; TSG101, tumor susceptibility gene 101; HSP90, heat shock protein 90; ALIX, ALG-2 interacting protein X; HSPA4, heat shock protein A4; TRAP1, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1; HLA-ABC, human leukocyte antigen-ABC.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Adipocyte-exos, ADSC-exos, ATM-exos, and fibroblast-derived exosomes all contain substances that can promote tumor progression by enhancing the proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance of tumor cells. ADSC-exos are rich in various miRNAs that can suppress tumor growth by increasing the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs, promoting apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation and migration, and recruiting natural killer T cells. (Created with BioRender.com). lncRNA-SNHG1, lncRNA-small nucleolar RNA host gene 1; FABP4, fatty acid binding protein 4; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; IL-6, interleukin-6; IL-8, interleukin-8; CCL2, C-C motif ligand 2; CCL5, C-C motif ligand 5; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; TSP5, thrombospondin family protein 5; FFA, free fatty acid; lncRNA-HISLA, lncRNA-HIF-1α-stabilizing long noncoding RNA; lncRNA-SNHG3, lncRNA-small nucleolar RNA host gene 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The properties of AT-exos from the obese population and the contents in AT-exos derived from obese individuals are related to the exacerbation of insulin resistance. With an increased quantity, the adipocyte-exos of obese individuals exhibit significant alterations compared to those of normal individuals. The upregulation of certain microRNAs and proteins within these exosomes can exacerbate insulin resistance. Conversely, the downregulation of various RNAs, proteins, and lipid can alleviate insulin resistance, thereby significantly worsening the insulin resistance in obese individuals. Exosomes from ADSCs and macrophages also contain substances that can regulate insulin resistance levels. miR-155 from ATM-exos can inhibit adipogenesis and reduce insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells, aggravating insulin resistance. (Created with BioRender.com). miR-126, miR-223, and STAT3 in ADSC-exos, as well as IL-4 from ATM-exos, are associated with the reduction of inflammation, thereby alleviating insulin resistance. IL-1β, interleukin-1β; IL-6, interleukin-6; IL-8, interleukin-8; CCL2, C-C motif ligand 2; CCL5, C-C motif ligand 5; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; RBP4, retinol binding protein 4; FAHFAs, fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acids; FABP4, fatty acid binding protein 4; FGF21, fibroblast growth factor 21; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; IL-1β, interleukin-1β.
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Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82272287); Cross-disciplinary Research Fund of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (JYJC202215); Shanghai Clinical Research Center of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery supported by Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Grant No. 22MC1940300); project list of “National Double First-Class” and “Shanghai-Top-Level” high education initiative at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

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