Mechanism of immune attack in the progression of obesity-related type 2 diabetes

Figure 5 Immune attack and inflammation in the skeletal muscle in obesity-related type 2 diabetes. As obesity develops, adipose depots between skeletal muscles or surrounding muscles continuously further expand. Immune cells including M1-like macrophages, CD8+ T cells and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)–producing CD4+ cells, infiltrate into adipose depots in skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscle cells can also produce monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and other molecules, and lead to the infiltration of macrophages, finally inducing insulin resistance.