H. JNK-and IB-dependent pathways regulate MCP-1 but not adiponectin release from artificially hypertrophied 3T3-L1 adipocytes preloaded with palmitate in vitro. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 294: E898-E909, 2008. First published February 26, 2008 doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00131.2007.-Obese conditions increase the expression of adipocytokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in adipose tissue as well as MCP-1 plasma levels. To investigate the mechanism behind increased MCP-1, we used a model in which 3T3-L1 adipocytes were artificially hypertrophied by preloading with palmitate in vitro. As observed in obesity, under our model conditions, palmitate-preloaded cells showed significantly increased oxidative stress and increased MCP-1 expression relative to control cells. This increased MCP-1 expression was enhanced by adding exogenous tumor necrosis factor-␣ (TNF-␣; 17.8-fold vs. control cells, P Ͻ 0.01) rather than interleukin-1 (IL-1; 2.6-fold vs. control cells, P Ͻ 0.01). However, endogenous TNF-␣ and IL-1 release was not affected in hypertrophied cells, suggesting that these endogenous cytokines do not mediate hypertrophy-induced increase in MCP-1. MCP-1 secretion from hypertrophied cells was significantly decreased by treatment with antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine, JNK inhibitors SP600125 and JIP-1 peptide, and IB phosphorylation inhibitors BAY 11-7085 and BMS-345541 (P Ͻ 0.01). MCP-1 secretion was not affected by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-␥ (PPAR␥) antagonists assayed. Adiponectin, another adipocytokine studied in parallel, also showed increased release in hypertrophy relative to control cells. But in contrast to MCP-1, adiponectin release was significantly suppressed by both exogenous TNF-␣ and IL-1 as well as by PPAR␥ antagonists bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and T0070907 (P Ͻ 0.01). JNK inhibitors and IB phosphorylation inhibitors showed no significant effect on adiponectin. We conclude that adipocyte hypertrophy through palmitate loading causes oxidative stress, which in turn increases MCP-1 expression and secretion through JNK and IB signaling. In contrast, the parallel increase in adiponectin expression appears to be related to the PPAR␥ ligand properties of palmitate.c-Jun NH 2-terminal kinase; monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; tumor necrosis factor-␣; interleukin-1 ADIPOCYTES STOCKPILE TRIGLYCERIDES, and increasing adipocyte size or hypertrophy accompanies the increased intracellular triglyceride content (43). In addition to triglyceride stockpiling, adipocytes function in endocrine signaling by secreting adipocytokines such as adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-␣ (TNF-␣), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (31). Adipocytokine MCP-1 is a potent chemotactic factor for monocytes and is predominantly produced by macrophages and vascular endothelial cells (34). MCP-1 expression in adipose tissue leads to macrophage infiltration into this tissue and insulin resistance under obese conditions (5,17,18). In vivo in obese mice, MCP-1 is abundantly exp...