In obesity, macrophage activation and infiltration in adipose tissue (AT) underlie chronic low-grade inflammation-induced insulin resistance. Although dectin-1 is primarily a pathogen recognition receptor and innate immune response modulator, its role in metabolic syndromes remains to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate the
dectin-1
gene expression in subcutaneous AT in the context of obesity and associated inflammatory markers. Subcutaneous AT biopsies were collected from 59 nondiabetic (lean/overweight/obese) individuals. AT gene expression levels of
dectin-1
and inflammatory markers were determined via real-time reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Dectin-1 protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Plasma lipid profiles were measured by ELISA. AT
dectin-1
transcripts and proteins were significantly elevated in obese as compared to lean individuals. AT
dectin-1
transcripts correlated positively with body mass index and fat percentage (r ≥ 0.340,
p
≤ 0.017). AT
dectin-1
RNA levels correlated positively with clinical parameters, including plasma C-reactive protein and CCL5/RANTES, but negatively with that of adiponectin. The expression of
dectin-1
transcripts was associated with that of various proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and their cognate receptors (r ≥ 0.300,
p
≤ 0.05), but not with anti-inflammatory markers.
Dectin-1
and members of the TLR signaling cascade were found to be significantly associated, suggesting an interplay between the two pathways.
Dectin-1
expression was correlated with monocyte/macrophage markers, including
CD16
,
CD68
,
CD86
, and
CD163
, suggesting its monocytes/macrophage association in an adipose inflammatory microenvironment.
Dectin-1
expression was independently predicted by
CCR5
,
CCL20
,
TLR2
, and
MyD88
. In conclusion, dectin-1 may be regarded as an AT biomarker of metabolic inflammation in obesity.