ObjectiveObesity has been associated with impaired immunity and increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. It also exerts protective effects against mortality secondary to acute lung injury. The effects of obesity on immune responses to acute lung injury induced by Escherichia coli were investigated to determine if the above‐mentioned differences in its effects were related to infection severity.MethodsDiet‐induced obesity (DIO) and lean control mice received intranasal instillations of 109 or 1010 CFUs of E. coli. The immune responses were examined at 0 h (uninfected), 24 h, and 96 h postinfection.ResultsFollowing infection, the DIO mice exhibited higher leukocyte, interleukin (IL)−10, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐α levels and more severe lung injury than the lean mice. Following inoculation with 1010 CFUs of E. coli, the DIO mice exhibited higher mortality and more severe inflammation‐induced injury than the lean mice, but no differences in E. coli counts were noted between the two groups. However, inoculated with 109 CFUs of E. coli, the DIO mice exhibited smaller E. coli burdens at 24 h and 96 h after infection, as well as lower concentrations of IL‐10 and tumor necrosis factor‐α and less severe lung injury at 96 h after infection.ConclusionsThe results support the emerging view that obesity may be beneficial in the setting of milder infection but detrimental in the setting of more severe infection.

Abstract. Previous studies have indicated that resistin, a type of adipokine, contributes to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and mediates inflammatory reactions. However, a specific receptor for resistin has not yet been identified. In this study, the relationship between resistin and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors, as well as resistin signal transduction, was examined through transfection, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis and ELISA. The mRNA expression of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), a key immune receptor related to insulin resistance, was significantly increased by resistin treatment at concentrations of 100, 150 and 200 ng/ml (P<0.05, P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively). The mRNA expression of downstream signaling molecules in the NOD2 signaling pathway, receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (RIP2; P<0.01 at 6, 12 and 24 h) and inhibitor of NF-κB kinase subunit beta (P<0.01 at 3, 6, 12 and 24 h) were significantly increased by resistin treatment compared with the control. The mRNA expression of key proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α, IL (interleukin)-6 and IL-1β, were also significantly increased by resistin treatment compared with the control (P<0.01). NOD2 knockdown by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly decreased the expression of NOD2 and RIP2 (P<0.01), and there was no significant increase in the levels of cytokines, as compared with treatment with control siRNA. These findings indicate that the inflammatory reaction induced by resistin involves the NOD2-nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway. The inhibition of NF-κB significantly decreased the secretion of key inflammatory cytokines (P<0.01), suggesting that NF-κB signaling mechanisms are essential to the resistin-induced inflammatory response.