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Review
. 2010:2010:610479.
doi: 10.1155/2010/610479. Epub 2010 Feb 9.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: critical role in obesity, insulin resistance, and associated comorbidities

Robert Kleemann  1 , Richard Bucala
Affiliations
Review

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: critical role in obesity, insulin resistance, and associated comorbidities

Robert Kleemann et al. Mediators Inflamm. 2010.

Abstract

Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, disturbed glucose homeostasis, low grade inflammation, and comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an ubiquitously expressed protein that plays a crucial role in many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Increasing evidence suggests that MIF also controls metabolic and inflammatory processes underlying the development of metabolic pathologies associated with obesity. This is a comprehensive summary of our current knowledge on the role of MIF in obesity and obesity-associated comorbidities, based on human clinical data as well as animal models of disease.

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