Melatonin and brown adipose tissue: novel insights to a complex interplay

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
Ingrid Fernandes Olesçuck ◽  
Ludmilla Scodeler Camargo ◽  
Paula Vargas Versignassi Carvalho ◽  
Caroline Aparecida Pereira Souza ◽  
Camila Congentino Gallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Metabolic Balance ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Circannual Cycles ◽  
Body Weight Control ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

As a chronobiotic molecule, melatonin finely tunes a variety of physiological processes including energy metabolism, reproduction and sleep-wake cycle, collaborating for the survival of the organisms. Since its pineal production occurs exclusively during the night, melatonin is responsible for signaling the circadian and circannual cycles to the organisms. This involves different ways of action that need to be considered when analyzing its effects in a given tissue/organism. Non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) is a crucial process for homeothermic animals and increasing evidences show its importance for the energy metabolic balance due to its influence in body weight control. The highly seasonal brown adipose tissue (BAT) is the site for NST and its metabolism is importantly influenced by melatonin. This review focuses on melatonin actions over BAT and the attention should be given to the relation between this signaling molecule and such a seasonally expressed tissue.

scholarly journals Thermogenesis challenges the adipostat hypothesis for body-weight control

2009 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Cannon ◽  
Jan Nedergaard
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Cold Exposure ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Body Weight Control

According to the adipostat hypothesis for body-weight control, alterations in body weight should always be compensated by adequate alterations in food intake and thermogenesis. Thus, increased thermogenesis should not be able to counteract obesity because food intake would be increased. However evidence is presented here that thermogenesis in different forms (through artificial uncouplers, exercise, cold exposure) may counteract obesity and is not always fully compensated by increased food intake. Correspondingly, a decreased capacity for metaboloregulatory thermogenesis (i.e. non-functional brown adipose tissue) may in itself lead to obesity. This is evident in mice and may be valid for human subjects, as a substantial proportion of adults possess brown adipose tissue, and those with less or without brown adipose tissue would seem to be more prone to obesity. Thus, increased thermogenesis may counteract obesity, without dietary intervention.

scholarly journals Involvement of TRP Channels in Adipocyte Thermogenesis: An Update

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuping Sun ◽  
Yixuan Luo ◽  
Fei Zhang ◽  
Shuo Tang ◽  
Tao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Trp Channels ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Promising Application ◽  
Body Weight Control ◽  
Global Health Problem ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

Obesity prevalence became a severe global health problem and it is caused by an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a major site of mammalian non-shivering thermogenesis or energy dissipation. Thus, modulation of BAT thermogenesis might be a promising application for body weight control and obesity prevention. TRP channels are non-selective calcium-permeable cation channels mainly located on the plasma membrane. As a research focus, TRP channels have been reported to be involved in the thermogenesis of adipose tissue, energy metabolism and body weight regulation. In this review, we will summarize and update the recent progress of the pathological/physiological involvement of TRP channels in adipocyte thermogenesis. Moreover, we will discuss the potential of TRP channels as future therapeutic targets for preventing and combating human obesity and related-metabolic disorders.

scholarly journals Resistance to Obesity by Repression of VEGF Gene Expression through Induction of Brown-Like Adipocyte Differentiation

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (7) ◽  
pp. 3123-3132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaodan Lu ◽  
Yan Ji ◽  
Luqing Zhang ◽  
Yuntao Zhang ◽  
Shuzhi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Energy Metabolism ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Fatty Acid Transport ◽  
Adipose Tissues ◽  
Genetic Mouse Model ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Body Weight Control

Adipose tissues are classified into white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT is responsible for energy storage, and malfunction is associated with obesity. BAT, on the contrary, consumes fat to generate heat through uncoupling mitochondrial respiration and is important in body weight control. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A is the founding member of the VEGF family and has been found highly expressed in adipose tissue. A genetic mouse model of an inducible VEGF (VEGF-A) repression system was used to study VEGF-regulated energy metabolism in WAT. VEGF-repressed mice demonstrated lower food efficiency, lower body weight, and resistance to high-fat diet-induced obesity. Repression of VEGF expression caused morphological and molecular changes in adipose tissues. VEGF repression induced brown-like adipocyte development in WAT, up-regulation of BAT-specific genes including PRDM16, GATA-1, BMP-7, CIDEA, and UCP-1 and down-regulation of leptin, a WAT-specific gene. VEGF repression up-regulated expression of VEGF-B and its downstream fatty acid transport proteins. Relative levels of VEGF/VEGF-B may be important switches in energy metabolism and of pharmaceutical significances.

Non-shivering Thermogenesis and Brown Adipose Tissue in the Human New-born Infant

Nature ◽  
1965 ◽  
Vol 206 (4980) ◽  
pp. 201-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. R. DAWKINS ◽  
J. W. SCOPES
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
New Born ◽  
Born Infant ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

Brown adipose tissue activation in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 313 (6) ◽  
pp. E731-E736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Wang ◽  
Xiangzhi Meng ◽  
Chun Yang ◽  
Dongliang Fang ◽  
Xuemeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Sympathetic Denervation ◽  
Brown Adipose

Loss of body weight and fat mass is one of the nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Weight loss is due primarily to reduced energy intake and increased energy expenditure. Whereas inadequate energy intake in PD patients is caused mainly by appetite loss and impaired gastrointestinal absorption, the underlying mechanisms for increased energy expenditure remain largely unknown. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), a key thermogenic tissue in humans and other mammals, plays an important role in thermoregulation and energy metabolism; however, it has not been tested whether BAT is involved in the negative energy balance in PD. Here, using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD, we found that the activity of sympathetic nerve (SN), the expression of Ucp1 in BAT, and thermogenesis were increased in PD rats. BAT sympathetic denervation blocked sympathetic activity and decreased UCP1 expression in BAT and attenuated the loss of body weight in PD rats. Interestingly, sympathetic denervation of BAT was associated with decreased sympathetic tone and lipolysis in retroperitoneal and epididymal white adipose tissue. Our data suggeste that BAT-mediated thermogenesis may contribute to weight loss in PD.

scholarly journals Correction: Thyroid Hormone Activates Brown Adipose Tissue and Increases Non-Shivering Thermogenesis—A Cohort Study in a Group of Thyroid Carcinoma Patients

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. e0209225
Author(s):  
Evie P. M. Broeders ◽  
Guy H. E. J. Vijgen ◽  
Bas Havekes ◽  
Nicole D. Bouvy ◽  
Felix M. Mottaghy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Thyroid Hormone ◽  
Thyroid Carcinoma ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

scholarly journals Plasticity of non-shivering thermogenesis and brown adipose tissue in high-altitude deer mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soren Z. Coulson ◽  
Cayleih E. Robertson ◽  
Sajeni Mahalingam ◽  
Grant B. McClelland
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Heat Production ◽  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
Mitochondrial Respiration ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Hypoxia Acclimation ◽  
Shivering Thermogenesis

High altitude environments challenge small mammals with persistent low ambient temperatures that require high rates of aerobic heat production in face of low O2 availability. An important component of thermogenic capacity in rodents is non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) mediated by uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in brown adipose tissue (BAT). NST is plastic, and capacity for heat production increases with cold acclimation. However, in lowland native rodents, hypoxia inhibits NST in BAT. We hypothesize that highland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) overcome the hypoxic inhibition of NST through changes in BAT mitochondrial function. We tested this hypothesis using lab born and raised highland and lowland deer mice, and a lowland congeneric (P. leucopus), acclimated to either warm normoxia (25°C, 760 mmHg) or cold hypoxia (5°C, 430 mmHg). We determined the effects of acclimation and ancestry on whole-animal rates of NST, the mass of interscapular BAT (iBAT), and uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 protein expression. To identify changes in mitochondrial function, we conducted high-resolution respirometry on isolated iBAT mitochondria using substrates and inhibitors targeted to UCP-1. We found that rates of NST increased with cold hypoxia acclimation but only in highland deer mice. There was no effect of cold hypoxia acclimation on iBAT mass in any group, but highland deer mice showed increases in UCP-1 expression and UCP-1 stimulated mitochondrial respiration in response to these stressors. Our results suggest that highland deer mice have evolved to increase the capacity for NST in response to chronic cold hypoxia, driven in part by changes in iBAT mitochondrial function.

Recombinant Lactococcus lactis NZ3900 expressing bioactive human FGF21 reduced body weight of Db/Db mice through the activity of brown adipose tissue

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.-Y. Cao ◽  
M. Dong ◽  
Z.-Y. Hu ◽  
J. Wu ◽  
Y.-C. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Oral Administration ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Lactococcus Lactis ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Human Fgf21

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a metabolism regulator, has an important effect on metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. It is also expressed in mice, and the murine source has high homology with human FGF21. Recently, it has been extensively studied and has become a potential drug target for the treatment of metabolic diseases. As it is a protein-based hormone, FGF21 cannot be easily and quickly absorbed into the blood through oral administration. Moreover, it has a 0-2 h half-life in vivo, as shown in a previous study, thus its efficacy lasts for a short period of time when used to treat metabolic diseases, limiting its clinical applications. To avoid these limitations, we used Lactococcus lactis, a food-grade bacterium, as the host to express FGF21. It could be used successfully for the expression and long-term effect of FGF21 in vivo. Instead of antibiotic resistance genes, the LacF gene was used as a selection marker in the NZ3900/PNZ8149 expression system, which is safe and could reduce the antibiotic resistance crisis. In this study, we a constructed human FGF21 expressing L. lactis strain and administered it to Db/Db mice by gavage. Compared with the control group, the body weight of mice in the experimental group was significantly reduced, and the overall homeostasis was improved in mice treated with human FGF21. Moreover, the activity of brown adipose tissue was enhanced. These results revealed that oral administration of FGF21 through heterologous expression in L. lactis appears to be an effective approach for its clinical application.

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