12/15-Lipoxygenase Products Induce Inflammation and Impair Insulin Signaling in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Inflammation and insulin resistance associated with visceral obesity are important risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and the metabolic syndrome. The 12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LO) enzyme has been linked to inflammatory changes in blood vessels that precede the development of atherosclerosis. The expression and role of 12/15-LO in adipocytes have not been evaluated. We found that 12/15-LO mRNA was dramatically upregulated in white epididymal adipocytes of high-fat fed mice. 12/15-LO was poorly expressed in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and was upregulated during differentiation into adipocytes. Interestingly, the saturated fatty acid palmitate, a major component of high fat diets, augmented expression of 12/15-LO in vitro. When 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with the 12/15-LO products, 12-hydroxyeicosatetranoic acid (12(S)-HETE) and 12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HPETE), expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-12p40, was upregulated whereas anti-inflammatory adiponectin gene expression was downregulated. 12/15-LO products also augmented c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK-1) phosphorylation, a known negative regulator of insulin signaling. Consistent with impaired insulin signaling, we found that insulin-stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes exhibited decreased IRS-1(Tyr) phosphorylation, increased IRS-1 (Ser) phosphorylation, and impaired Akt phosphorylation when treated with 12/15-LO product. Taken together, our data suggest that 12/15-LO products create a proinflammatory state and impair insulin signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Because 12/15-LO expression is upregulated in visceral adipocytes by high-fat feeding in vivo and also by addition of palmitic acid in vitro, we propose that 12/15-LO plays a role in promoting inflammation and insulin resistance associated with obesity.