Survey on pathophysiological role of adipose tissue in sepsis

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K18352
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 55060:Emergency medicine-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Cho Kosai 京都大学, 医学研究科, 講師 (00706707)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 敗血症 / 肥満症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the first year, we created various mouse models and analyzed their phenotypes to measure mortality and inflammation-related gene expression. As a result, we made a presentation at an international conference on these findings that not significant difference was found in fat percentage and inflammatory changes between the knockout group and the control group under normal-chow.
From 2020, research activities had to be restricted due to the influence of the Covid-19. Similar studies were conducted on the knockout group and the control group under high-fat diet loading and using adipocytes. As a result, no conscious difference was found in the mortality rate. In the future, it is considered necessary to focus on organ damage as a secondary endpoint.

Free Research Field

救急医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

敗血症による多臓器不全は、救急・集中治療領域における主要な死因の一つでアンメット・メディカル・ニーズが極めて高い疾患であり、この病態解明や治療法の開発は極めて社会的要請が高いとされている。そのような中で肥満患者における敗血症の死亡率は標準体型症例に比べて高いことが報告されており、また最近の研究成果から脂肪組織は単なるエネルギー貯蔵組織のみならず、アディポサイトカインと総称される生理活性物質を産生・分泌し、多彩な生命現象に関与することが明らかになってきた。
本研究はこのような背景に着想を得て敗血症の病態解明を試みるものであり、学術的意義が期待できるものである。