What Makes Lipoedema Fat Different? The role of the immune system
- SEDSConnective
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
What is lipedema / Lipoedema?
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Lipoedema is a poorly understood medical condition where fat tissue builds up symmetrically in the limbs, causing pain and swelling. It's often misdiagnosed as obesity or lymphedema (fluid retention), but it's actually a distinct disorder with its own characteristics.
Introduction
A research study investigated lipoedema, a chronic condition that causes painful, disproportionate fat accumulation in the arms and legs but can occasionally be on the lower belly, primarily affecting women.
Put simply this is what the study found and suggest for future research:
Key Research Findings:
The Immune System Connection: The researchers discovered that lipoedema tissue contains unusually high numbers of specific immune cells called M2 macrophages, particularly those marked by a protein called CD163. These are "immunosuppressive" cells that typically reduce inflammation but can also promote tissue growth.
What are macrophages ?
Macrophages in fat cells, also known as adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), are immune cells that play a crucial role in both healthy and diseased adipose tissue. In lean people, they help maintain tissue homeostasis while in obesity, they contribute to chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.
How These Cells Affect Fat Formation: The study showed that these special immune cells release chemical signals that encourage the formation of new fat cells. When they tested this in the lab, stem cells exposed to signals from lipoedema tissue developed into fat cells much more readily than normal.
A Potential Treatment Approach: The researchers tested a drug called IPI-549 that can "reprogram" these immune cells. When they treated the lipoedema tissue with this drug, it significantly reduced the formation of new fat cells, essentially "normalising" the process back to healthy levels.
What This Means:
This research suggests that lipoedema isn't just about fat cells growing larger. It is also about the immune system creating an environment that promotes excessive fat cell formation. The immune cells act like "fertiliser" for fat growth!
The discovery that a specific drug can reverse this process is promising for future treatments. However, this was laboratory research, so clinical trials would be needed to see if this approach could help actual patients.
Bottom Line:
This study provides new insight into why lipoedema develops and offers hope for better treatments by targeting the immune system component of the disease, rather than just treating the symptoms.
Read the full paper here :A distinct M2 macrophage infiltrate and transcriptomic profile decisively influence adipocyte differentiation in lipedema
More references here : https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.908749/full
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