New therapeutic targets for the treatment of insulin resistance based on the paracrine cross-talk between hepatocytes and Kupffer cells

Abstract

Chronic low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue during obesity is associated to an impairment of the insulin signaling cascade. In this study we have evaluated the impact of palmitate or oleate overload of macrophages in triggering lipoapotosis and in the cross-talk with insulin signaling in hepatocytes. Macrophages were stimulated with oleate or palmitate and levels of M1/M2 polarization markers was analyzed. Whereas proinflammatory cytokines were elevated in macrophages stimulated with palmitate, enhanced M2 markers levels was detected in macrophages stimulated with oleate. When hepatocytes were pretreated with conditioned medium from macrophages loaded with palmitate (CM-P) phosphorylation of stress kinases and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling was increased, insulin signaling was impaired and lipoapoptosis was detected. Conversely, enhanced insulin receptor (IR)-mediated signaling and reduced levels of the phosphatase protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) was found in hepatocytes treated with CM from macrophages stimulated with oleate (CM-O). In conclusion, oleate and palmitate elicit an opposite cross-talk between macrophages and hepatocytes. Whereas CM-P interferes at the early steps of insulin signaling, CM-O increases insulin sensitization by decreasing PTP1B. Therefore, targeting PTP1B is a therapeutic strategy to combat hepatic insulin resistance in obesity.