Rie Murakami1, Yoshifumi Saisho1, Yuusuke Watanabe1, Jun Inaishi1, Tami Tsuchiya1, Kinsei Kou1,2, Seiji Sato1,3, Minoru Kitago4, Yuko Kitagawa4, Taketo Yamada5,6, Hiroshi Itoh1. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. 2. Department of Internal Medicine, Hiratsuka City Hospital, Kanagawa 254-0065, Japan. 3. Shinseikai Sato Hospital, Fukushima 965-0877, Japan. 4. Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. 5. Department of Pathology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. 6. Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan.
Abstract
Context: The mechanisms by which β cell mass is reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes remain unclear. It has been postulated that ectopic fat deposits in the pancreas induce β cell apoptosis, leading to the development of diabetes. Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of intrapancreatic fat on β and α cell mass in humans with and without diabetes. Design and Subjects: Using our tissue database, pancreas sections of 72 Japanese nondiabetic (NDM) autopsy cases and 50 diabetic and 49 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched NDM patients who underwent pancreatic surgery were analyzed. In addition to histological grading, intrapancreatic fat area (IPFA) was quantified as fractional intralobular, but not interlobular, fat area to the whole pancreas area. Results: Although IPFA was positively correlated with age and BMI, there was no significant difference in IPFA between cases with and without diabetes. Moreover, no association was found between IPFA and either β or α cell area, or glycated hemoglobin. Conclusion: These findings suggest that pancreatic fat deposits have little effect on β cell mass and the development of diabetes in humans.
Context: The mechanisms by which β cell mass is reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes remain unclear. It has been postulated that ectopic fat deposits in the pancreas induce β cell apoptosis, leading to the development of diabetes. Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of intrapancreatic fat on β and α cell mass in humans with and without diabetes. Design and Subjects: Using our tissue database, pancreas sections of 72 Japanese nondiabetic (NDM) autopsy cases and 50 diabetic and 49 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched NDM patients who underwent pancreatic surgery were analyzed. In addition to histological grading, intrapancreatic fat area (IPFA) was quantified as fractional intralobular, but not interlobular, fat area to the whole pancreas area. Results: Although IPFA was positively correlated with age and BMI, there was no significant difference in IPFA between cases with and without diabetes. Moreover, no association was found between IPFA and either β or α cell area, or glycated hemoglobin. Conclusion: These findings suggest that pancreatic fat deposits have little effect on β cell mass and the development of diabetes in humans.
Authors: Robert Wagner; Sabine S Eckstein; Hajime Yamazaki; Felicia Gerst; Jürgen Machann; Benjamin Assad Jaghutriz; Annette Schürmann; Michele Solimena; Stephan Singer; Alfred Königsrainer; Andreas L Birkenfeld; Hans-Ulrich Häring; Andreas Fritsche; Susanne Ullrich; Martin Heni Journal: Nat Rev Endocrinol Date: 2021-10-20 Impact factor: 43.330