Across aging, white adipose tissue (WAT) undergoes significant changes in quantity and distribution, with an increase in visceral adipose tissue, ectopic fat deposition and a decline in gluteofemoral subcutaneous depot.

In particular, WAT becomes dysfunctional with an increase in production of inflammatory peptides and a decline of those with anti-inflammatory activity and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Moreover, dysfunction of WAT is characterized by preadipocyte differentiation decline, increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, reduction in vascularization and hypoxia, increased fibrosis and senescent cell accumulation.

WAT changes represent an important hallmark of the aging process and may be responsible for the systemic pro-inflammatory state (“inflammageing”) typical of aging itself, leading to age-related metabolic alterations.

This review focuses on mechanisms linking age-related WAT changes to inflammageing.

在整个衰老过程中，白色脂肪组织（WAT）的数量和分布都发生了重大变化，内脏脂肪组织增加，异位脂肪沉积和股股下皮下贮藏库减少。

特别是，WAT会随着炎症性肽的产生增加而具有抗炎活性和炎症性细胞浸润的肽减少而功能失调。此外，WAT功能障碍的特征是前脂肪细胞分化下降，氧化应激和线粒体功能障碍增加，血管生成和缺氧减少，纤维化和衰老细胞积累增加。

WAT的变化代表了衰老过程的重要标志，并可能导致衰老本身的全身性促炎状态（“发炎”），从而导致与年龄相关的代谢改变。

这篇综述着重于将与年龄有关的WAT变化与炎症联系起来的机制。