Previous studies have demonstrated that mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) develop insulin resistance with proinflammatory macrophage infiltration into white adipose tissue. Concomitantly, adipocytes undergo programmed cell death with the loss of the adipocyte-specific lipid droplet protein perilipin, and the dead/dying adipocytes are surrounded by macrophages that are organized into crown-like structures. This study investigated whether adipocyte cell death provides the driving signal for macrophage inflammation or if inflammation induces adipocyte cell death.

Two knockout mouse models were used: granulocyte/monocyte-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)–null mice that are protected against HFD-induced adipose tissue inflammation and cyclophilin D (CyP-D)–null mice that are protected against adipocyte cell death. Mice were fed for 4–14 weeks with a 60% HFD, and different markers of cell death and inflammation were analyzed.

HFD induced a normal extent of adipocyte cell death in GM-CSF–null mice, despite a marked reduction in adipose tissue inflammation. Similarly, depletion of macrophages by clodronate treatment prevented HFD-induced adipose tissue inflammation without any affect on adipocyte cell death. However, CyP-D deficiency strongly protected adipocytes from HFD-induced cell death, without affecting adipose tissue inflammation.

These data demonstrate that HFD-induced adipocyte cell death is an intrinsic cellular response that is CyP-D dependent but is independent of macrophage infiltration/activation.