Abstract

Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are global problems affecting all age groups and have been characterized as lifestyle disorders. Though no study has clearly proved a direct correlation between obesity and T2D, a number of factors are associated with obesity causing insulin resistance and T2D. The factors such as adipokines and various transcription factors help to maintain a proper metabolic state in the body. Deregulation in any of these signalling balances due to obesity may trigger an inflammatory cascade which could lead to the aforesaid problems of insulin resistance and T2D. In this review, we have discussed the factors that probably link inflammation to obesity-induced insulin resistance and subsequently T2D and the possible therapeutic opportunities to decrease health risk of T2D in future.

Keywords: Inflammation, adipokines, signal transduction, macrophages/adipocytes, obesity, type-2 diabetes, angiotensinogen, adiponectin, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1, triacylglycerol, thiazolidinedione, monocyte chemotactic protein-1