Critical illness induces nutrient-independent adipogenesis and accumulation of alternatively activated tissue macrophages

Abstract

In artificially fed critically ill patients, adipose tissue reveals an increased number of small adipocytes and accumulation of M2-type macrophages [ 1 ]. We hypothesized that nutrient-independent factors of critical illness explain these findings, and also that M2-macrophage accumulation during critical illness may not be limited to adipose tissue.