Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a specialized tissue for nonshivering thermogenesis to dissipate energy as heat. Although BAT research has long been limited mostly in small rodents, the rediscovery of metabolically active BAT in adult humans has dramatically promoted the translational studies on BAT in health and diseases. Moreover, several remarkable advancements have been made in brown fat biology over the past decade: The molecular and functional analyses of inducible thermogenic adipocytes (socalled beige adipocytes) arising from a developmentally different lineage from classical brown adipocytes have been accelerated. In addition to a well-established thermogenic activity of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), several alternative thermogenic mechanisms have been discovered, particularly in beige adipocytes. It has become clear that BAT influences other peripheral tissues and controls their functions and systemic homeostasis of energy and metabolic substrates, suggesting BAT as a metabolic regulator, other than for thermogenesis. This notion is supported by discovering that various paracrine and endocrine factors are secreted from BAT. We review the current understanding of BAT pathophysiology, particularly focusing on its role as a metabolic regulator in small rodents and also in humans.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Brown adipose tissue evaluation using water and triglyceride as indices by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy Tomomi Iida, Yukio Ueda, Hideo Tsukada, Dai Fukumoto, Takafumi Hamaoka Journal of Biophotonics.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
White-brown adipose tissue interplay in polycystic ovary syndrome: Therapeutic avenues Khadijeh Abbasi, Reza Zarezadeh, Amir Valizadeh, Amir Mehdizadeh, Hamed Hamishehkar, Mohammad Nouri, Masoud Darabi Biochemical Pharmacology.2024; 220: 116012. CrossRef
Brown Adipose Tissue, Batokines, and Bioactive Compounds in Foods: An Update Fabiane Ferreira Martins, Bruna Cadete Martins, Ananda Vitoria Silva Teixeira, Matheus Ajackson, Vanessa Souza‐Mello, Julio Beltrame Daleprane Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Plasticity of Adipose Tissues: Interconversion among White, Brown, and Beige Fat and Its Role in Energy Homeostasis Yanqiu Peng, Lixia Zhao, Min Li, Yunfei Liu, Yuke Shi, Jian Zhang Biomolecules.2024; 14(4): 483. CrossRef
Homotaurine exhibits contrasting effects of DRD1-mediated thermogenesis-related regulators in C2C12 myoblasts and 3T3−L1 white adipocytes Kiros Haddish, Jong Won Yun Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Thermogenic Brown Fat in Humans: Implications in Energy Homeostasis, Obesity and Metabolic Disorders Masayuki Saito, Yuko Okamatsu-Ogura The World Journal of Men's Health.2023; 41(3): 489. CrossRef
Interplay of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue: sarcopenic obesity Min Jeong Park, Kyung Mook Choi Metabolism.2023; 144: 155577. CrossRef
White adipose tissue undergoes browning during preweaning period in association with microbiota formation in mice Anju Tsukada, Yuko Okamatsu-Ogura, Emi Futagawa, Yuki Habu, Natsumi Takahashi, Mira Kato-Suzuki, Yuko Kato, Satoshi Ishizuka, Kei Sonoyama, Kazuhiro Kimura iScience.2023; 26(7): 107239. CrossRef
In situ fluorescence-photoacoustic measurement of the changes of brown adipose tissue in mice under hindlimb unloading Baojie Gong, Jianxin Tang, Xiaoxiao Jiang, Zhe Zhang, Shiying Li, Hongjun Jin, Liming Nie, Guojia Huang Journal of Applied Physiology.2023; 135(2): 251. CrossRef
Age-Related Expression Dynamics of Uncoupling Protein 1 in Adipose Tissues of ICR Outbred Mice during Postnatal Ontogenesis A. V. Yakunenkov, E. I. Elsukova, I. O. Natochy Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology.2023; 59(4): 1020. CrossRef
UNCOUPLING PROTEIN UCP1 EXPRESSION DYNAMICS IN ADIPOSE TISSUES OF THE OUTBRED ICR MICE IN POSTNATAL ONTOGENESIS A. V. Yakunenkov, E. I. Elsukova, I. O. Natochy Журнал эволюционной биохимии и физиологии.2023; 59(4): 255. CrossRef
Antibodies Regulate Dual-Function Enzyme IYD to Induce Functional Synergy between Metabolism and Thermogenesis Sunghyun Kang, Hwan-Woo Park, Kyung Ho Han International Journal of Molecular Sciences.2022; 23(14): 7834. CrossRef
Machine learning-featured Secretogranin V is a circulating diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic adenocarcinomas associated with adipopenia Yunju Jo, Min-Kyung Yeo, Tam Dao, Jeongho Kwon, Hyon‐Seung Yi, Dongryeol Ryu Frontiers in Oncology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Possible roles of exercise and apelin against pregnancy complications Hamed Alizadeh Pahlavani Frontiers in Endocrinology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Relationships between the expression of adipose genes and profiles of hospitalized dogs Yukina Sugiyama, Fumie Shimokawa, Kazutoshi Sugiyama, Takashi Kobayashi, Yusuke Yamashita, Kei Kazama, Ken Onda, Masayuki Funaba, Masaru Murakami Veterinary Research Communications.2022; 46(4): 1239. CrossRef
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) in diabetes and its complications: Recent advances in mechanisms of action Yayi Jiang, Rensong Yue, Guojie Liu, Jun Liu, Bo Peng, Maoyi Yang, Lianxue Zhao, Zihan Li Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.2022; : 1. CrossRef
Fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Induces Mitochondrial Activation and Non-Shivering Thermogenesis through Regulation of PPARγ Woo Yong Park, Gahee Song, Ja Yeon Park, Kwan-Il Kim, Kwang Seok Ahn, Hyun Jeong Kwak, Jungtae Leem, Jae-Young Um, Jinbong Park Antioxidants.2021; 10(9): 1418. CrossRef