scholarly journals Brown adipose tissue – A future treatment for obesity?

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-79
Author(s):  
Natasha Povey ◽  
Dr Fiona Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Treatment ◽  
Brown Adipose

Obesity is a major public health concern: in the United Kingdom (UK) over two thirds of the population are obese or overweight, the prevalence of obesity is growing exponentially, and current treatment options have limited success – making the need for novel therapies vital. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has the ability to safely dissipate chemical energy as heat and in 2009 was found to be active in human adults, leading to hope that its therapeutic manipulation could contribute to weight loss. This review discusses methods proposed for BAT activation and potential pitfalls in our current understanding to evaluate if BAT can be used as a future treatment for obesity. To date, ơ3-adrenergic receptor (ơ3-AR) agonists and cold activation have been shown to be the most promising options to activate BAT. However, cold activation requires a high degree of patient cooperation and ơ3-AR agonists appear non-effective long-term. Nonetheless, ơ3-AR agonists are likely to be a more realistic treatment than cold activation, making our next challenge to understandand mitigate the mechanisms that inhibit BAT activation in long-term ơ3-AR agonist administration. Our assumptions about BAT activation are predominately from rodent studies and based on measurements from [18F]-fl uorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)-positron-emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging, both with their respective limitations. BAT has offered huge insight into weight homeostasis, with the potential of offering prospective therapeutics for obesity and beyond. Nevertheless, before we can truly understand the real possibilities of BAT we need to further our current understanding of the physiological controls of BAT, potentially leading to more suitable therapies. The focus for future research should be to improve and standardise the methodology used to measure BAT activation, enabling larger clinical trials and better comparisons.

scholarly journals Effects of long-term sucrose overfeeding on rat brown adipose tissue: a structural and immunohistochemical study

2018 ◽  
Vol 221 (9) ◽  
pp. jeb166538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenija D. Velickovic ◽  
Mirela M. Ukropina ◽  
Radmila M. Glisic ◽  
Maja M. Cakic-Milosevic
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Immunohistochemical Study ◽  
Brown Adipose

Glucocorticoids and insulin: complex interaction on brown adipose tissue

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (5) ◽  
pp. R1209-R1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Strack ◽  
C. J. Horsley ◽  
R. J. Sebastian ◽  
S. F. Akana ◽  
M. F. Dallman
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Uncoupling Protein ◽  
Diabetic Rats ◽  
Insulin Effect ◽  
Caloric Efficiency ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
System Input ◽  
Streptozotocin Induced Diabetes

Glucocorticoids and insulin effect long-term reciprocal changes in food intake and body weight. We tested the interactions of corticosterone and insulin on caloric efficiency, white adipose tissue (WAT) stores, and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Two experiments were performed: 1) adrenalectomized rats were treated with corticosterone with or without streptozotocin-induced diabetes and 2) adrenalectomized, corticosterone-treated, diabetic rats were treated with insulin. By 4-5 days later, > or = 50% of the variance in caloric efficiency, plasma triglycerides, and WAT stores was explained by regression of these variables on corticosterone (catabolic) and insulin (anabolic). When the ratio of the hormones was normal, but concentrations high, overall gain of energy stores decreased and energy was redistributed to fat. Both hormones were anabolic on BAT lipid storage; the hormones played a complex role in the regulation of uncoupling protein (UCP) in BAT. Although corticosterone inhibited and insulin stimulated UCP, these effects were only evident in diabetics and with normoglycemia, respectively. For BAT variables, < or = 50% of the variance was explained by regression on corticosterone and insulin, suggesting that the effects of these hormones are mediated through an intermediate such as sympathetic nervous system input to BAT.

Role of T3 in thermogenic and trophic responses of brown adipose tissue to cold

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (1) ◽  
pp. E81-E87 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. R. Park ◽  
D. B. Mount ◽  
J. Himms-Hagen
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Uncoupling Protein ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Endogenous Production ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Trophic Responses ◽  
Optimal Growth Rate

Cold-induced growth of brown adipose tissue (BAT) was studied in thyroidectomized rats that received low doses of either thyroxine (T4) or 3,5,3'-triidothyronine (T3). The objective was to find out whether the cold-induced increase in activity of T4 5'-deiodinase, and thus increased endogenous T3 generation in BAT itself, was necessary for growth of BAT or whether T3 from the blood could serve as effectively as T3 produced endogenously. The acute thermogenic response of BAT to cold (15 h at 4 degrees C), as measured by the increase in mitochondrial GDP binding, was abolished by thyroidectomy, as seen previously, and restored by T3 as well as by T4 treatment. The long-term trophic response to cold (20–25 days at 4 degrees C), as indicated by increases in protein and DNA and in mitochondrial concentrations of GDP-binding sites and uncoupling protein, occurred whether T3 or T4 was administered to these thyroidectomized rats. We conclude that endogenous T3 production in BAT does not direct and is not essential for the long-term trophic response of this tissue to cold. We are not able to exclude, on the basis of the present results, that an optimal growth rate during the initial phase of the trophic response may require enhanced endogenous production of T3 in BAT. The cold-induced increase in T4 5'-deiodinase activity, presumably mediated by an action of norepinephrine, does not require the presence of either T3 or T4, as seen previously by others.

scholarly journals Long‐term caloric restriction ameliorates deleterious effects of aging on white and brown adipose tissue plasticity

Aging Cell ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. e12948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Corrales ◽  
Yurena Vivas ◽  
Adriana Izquierdo‐Lahuerta ◽  
Daniel Horrillo ◽  
Patricia Seoane‐Collazo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Caloric Restriction ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Effects Of Aging

scholarly journals Brown adipose tissue and type 2 diabetes

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-71
Author(s):  
Stephanie B Levy
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Brown Adipose Tissue ◽  
Type Ii Diabetes ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Brown Adipose

Abstract Recent work proposes that a regimen of repeated mild cold exposure may have protective effects against the development of type II diabetes mellitus (T2D) by activating brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism. BAT may protect against by increasing whole-body energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity. An evolutionary perspective, however, highlights several limitations of this hypothesis. Some individuals adapt to acute cold stress by constricting their blood vessels, which leads to high blood pressure. Thus, a regimen of repeated mild cooling may have beneficial health effects for some individuals and negative consequences for others. Future research should examine the relationships between low temperature exposure, BAT metabolism, blood pressure, and type II diabetes risk.

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