Insulin is the hormone responsible for maintaining glucose homeostasis in the body, in addition to participating in lipid metabolism, protein synthesis, and the inhibition of gluconeogenesis. These functions are well characterized in the classic organ target cells that are responsible for general energy regulation: the liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. However, these actions are not restricted to these tissues because insulin has been shown to affect most cells in the body. This review describes the role of insulin in leukocyte signaling pathways, metabolism and functions, and how insulin resistance could affect this signaling and deteriorate leukocyte metabolism and function, in addition to showing evidence that suggests leukocytes may substantially contribute to the development of systemic insulin resistance.
Keywords: insulin; insulin resistance; insulin signaling; leukocytes.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Leukocyte Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Leukocyte Biology.