Go to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • All ...
  • Videos
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Resource and Technical Advances
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Editorials
    • Perspectives
    • Physician-Scientist Development
    • Reviews
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • In-Press Preview
  • Resource and Technical Advances
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Editorials
  • Perspectives
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Reviews
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles regulate survival and function of pancreatic β cells
Iacopo Gesmundo, Barbara Pardini, Eleonora Gargantini, Giacomo Gamba, Giovanni Birolo, Alessandro Fanciulli, Dana Banfi, Noemi Congiusta, Enrica Favaro, Maria Chiara Deregibus, Gabriele Togliatto, Gaia Zocaro, Maria Felice Brizzi, Raul M. Luque, Justo P. Castaño, Maria Alessandra Bocchiotti, Simone Arolfo, Stefania Bruno, Rita Nano, Mario Morino, Lorenzo Piemonti, Huy Ong, Giuseppe Matullo, Juan M. Falcón-Pérez, Ezio Ghigo, Giovanni Camussi, Riccarda Granata
Iacopo Gesmundo, Barbara Pardini, Eleonora Gargantini, Giacomo Gamba, Giovanni Birolo, Alessandro Fanciulli, Dana Banfi, Noemi Congiusta, Enrica Favaro, Maria Chiara Deregibus, Gabriele Togliatto, Gaia Zocaro, Maria Felice Brizzi, Raul M. Luque, Justo P. Castaño, Maria Alessandra Bocchiotti, Simone Arolfo, Stefania Bruno, Rita Nano, Mario Morino, Lorenzo Piemonti, Huy Ong, Giuseppe Matullo, Juan M. Falcón-Pérez, Ezio Ghigo, Giovanni Camussi, Riccarda Granata
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Metabolism

Adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicles regulate survival and function of pancreatic β cells

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are implicated in the crosstalk between adipocytes and other metabolic organs, and an altered biological cargo has been observed in EVs from human obese adipose tissue (AT). Yet, the role of adipocyte-derived EVs in pancreatic β cells remains to be determined. Here, we explored the effects of EVs released from adipocytes isolated from both rodents and humans and human AT explants on survival and function of pancreatic β cells and human pancreatic islets. EVs from healthy 3T3-L1 adipocytes increased survival and proliferation and promoted insulin secretion in INS-1E β cells and human pancreatic islets, both those untreated or exposed to cytokines or glucolipotoxicity, whereas EVs from inflamed adipocytes caused β cell death and dysfunction. Human lean adipocyte-derived EVs produced similar beneficial effects, whereas EVs from obese AT explants were harmful for human EndoC-βH3 β cells. We observed differential expression of miRNAs in EVs from healthy and inflamed adipocytes, as well as alteration in signaling pathways and expression of β cell genes, adipokines, and cytokines in recipient β cells. These in vitro results suggest that, depending on the physiopathological state of AT, adipocyte-derived EVs may influence β cell fate and function.

Authors

Iacopo Gesmundo, Barbara Pardini, Eleonora Gargantini, Giacomo Gamba, Giovanni Birolo, Alessandro Fanciulli, Dana Banfi, Noemi Congiusta, Enrica Favaro, Maria Chiara Deregibus, Gabriele Togliatto, Gaia Zocaro, Maria Felice Brizzi, Raul M. Luque, Justo P. Castaño, Maria Alessandra Bocchiotti, Simone Arolfo, Stefania Bruno, Rita Nano, Mario Morino, Lorenzo Piemonti, Huy Ong, Giuseppe Matullo, Juan M. Falcón-Pérez, Ezio Ghigo, Giovanni Camussi, Riccarda Granata

×

Figure 5

Effect of Ad-EVs and CK-EVs on survival and function of human pancreatic islets.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Effect of Ad-EVs and CK-EVs on survival and function of human pancreatic...
(A) Representative confocal microscopy images of human pancreatic islets incubated with PKH26-labeled Ad-EVs at the times indicated. Ad-EVs are shown in red, DAPI-stained nuclei in blue, and insulin in green for β cells. Merge at 6 and 24 hours shows colocalization of Ad-EVs and insulin (yellow) in β cells, as indicated by arrows (scale bar: 50 μm). (B) Cell survival assessed by Alamar blue assay in islets cultured for 72 hours in normal medium with serum (s) or in serum-deprived medium alone (c) or with either Ad-EVs (1 × 108/islet) or CK-EVs (1 × 108/islet). (C) Cell survival in islets cultured in serum-deprived medium (control [c]) or exposed to cytokines (CK) (TNF-α/IFN-γ/IL-1β, 5 ng/mL each) and either untreated or treated with Ad-EVs or CK-EVs for 72 hours. Results for B and C are expressed as a percentage of control for B and percentage of CK for C (mean ± SEM) (n = 5). ***P < 0.001 vs. c (B) or CK (C); ###P < 0.001 by 1-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test. (D) Insulin secretion assessed by ELISA in pancreatic islets incubated with 2 mM glucose for 1 hour and then for a further 1 hour with the indicated concentrations of glucose, in the presence or absence of Ad-EVs (1 × 108/islet) (mean ± SEM) (n = 4). *P < 0.05 at each glucose concentration, by Student’s 2-tailed t test.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN 2379-3708

Sign up for email alerts