ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2023
Thoracic adipose tissue contributes to severe virus infection of the lung.
Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Adipose Tissue Heterogeneity: Depot-Specific Location and Functional Specialization in Obesity-Related Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Sex Differences in the Impact of Obesity on Immunity.Immunological reviews · 2026Review
- Biological sex differences after high and low doses of influenza A virus infection during obesity.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Acute Phase Extrapulmonary Effects of a High-Dose Influenza A Virus Infection in a Mouse Model of Obesity.Zoonotic diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Global research trends in influenza-associated acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome: a bibliometric analysis from 2010 to 2024.Journal of thoracic disease · 2025Article
- Biological Sex Differences after High and Low Doses of Influenza A Virus Infection in a Diet-induced Obesity Mouse Model.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Impact of Obesity on Immunity to the Influenza Virus: Gut Microbiota, Mechanisms, and Novel Therapeutic Strategies.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- High-fat diet impairs microbial metabolite production and aggravates influenza A infection.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2025Article
- From fat storage to immune hubs: the emerging role of adipocytes in coordinating the immune response to infection.The FEBS journal · 2025Review
- Obesity Uncovers the Presence of Inflammatory Lung Macrophage Subsets With an Adipose Tissue Transcriptomic Signature in Influenza Virus Infection.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Article
- The diverse interaction of metabolism, immune response, and viral pathogens.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Delivery of miR-26a-5p by Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Alleviates Acute Lung Injury in Mice Through CHUK/NF-κB Pathway.International journal of nanomedicine · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review of Key Risk Factors for Severe Illness Following SARS-CoV-2, Influenza Virus, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2025Review
- Telomerase RNA component knockout exacerbateseLife · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveObesity is an independent risk factor for severe influenza virus and COVID-19 infections. There might be an interplay between adipose tissue and respiratory pathogens, although the mechanism is unknown. Proinflammatory factors secreted by the adipose tissue are often discussed to serve as indirect contributor to virus infection. However, the direct potential of adipose tissue to serve as a viral niche has not yet been investigated.
methodsTwo murine obesity models (DIO and ob/ob) were infected with influenza A virus (IAV) and monitored for 3 weeks. p.i. Lung and adipose tissue were harvested, and the viral load was analysed. Direct replication of IAV in vitro was investigated in human derived primary adipocytes and macrophages. The indirect impact of the secretory products of adipocytes during infection was analysed in a co-culture system with lung fibroblasts. Moreover, lung and adipose tissue was harvested from deceased patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant. Additionally, replication of SARS-CoV-2 alpha, delta, and omicron variants was investigated in vitro in adipocytes and macrophages.
resultsBoth murine obesity models presented high IAV titers compared to non-obese mice. Interestingly, adipose tissue adjacent to the lungs was a focal point for influenza virus replication in mice. We further detected IAV replication and antiviral response in human adipocytes. Co-cultivation of adipocytes and lung fibroblasts led to increased IL-8 concentration during infection. Though we observed SARS-CoV-2 in the thoracic adipose tissue of COVID-19 patients, no active replication was found in adipocytes in vitro. However, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the macrophages and this finding was associated with increased inflammation.
conclusionsOur study revealed that thoracic adipose tissue contributes to respiratory virus infection. Besides indirect induction of proinflammatory factors during infection, adipocytes and macrophages within the tissue can directly support viral replication.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.