Therapeutic perspectives of thermogenic adipocytes in obesity and related complications.

There is a rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity and related metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes worldwide. White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy, whereas brown and beige adipose tissues consume energy to generate heat in the process of thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis occurs in response to environmental cues as a means of generating heat by dissipating stored chemical energy. Due to its cumulative nature, very small differences in energy expenditure from adaptive thermogenesis can have a significant impact on systemic metabolism over time. Targeting brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and converting WAT to beige fat as a method to increase energy expenditure is one of the promising strategies to combat obesity. In this review, we discuss the activation of the thermogenic process in response to physiological conditions. We highlight recent advances in harnessing the therapeutic potential of thermogenic adipocytes by genetic, pharmacological and cell-based approaches in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders in mice and the human.

全球范围内，肥胖及其相关代谢紊乱（如2型糖尿病）的患病率正快速攀升。白色脂肪组织（White Adipose Tissue, WAT）可储存过剩能量，而棕色脂肪组织（Brown Adipose Tissue, BAT）与米色脂肪组织（Beige Adipose Tissue）则通过产热（thermogenesis）过程消耗能量以产生热量。适应性产热是机体响应环境信号、通过耗散储存的化学能来产热的一种方式。由于其累积效应，长期来看，适应性产热带来的能量消耗即使仅有微小差异，也会对全身代谢产生显著影响。以激活棕色脂肪组织（BAT）、将白色脂肪组织（WAT）转化为米色脂肪作为提升能量消耗的手段，是对抗肥胖的极具潜力的策略之一。本综述将探讨机体在生理状态下产热过程的激活机制，并重点阐述近年来通过遗传学、药理学及基于细胞的手段，挖掘产热脂肪细胞治疗潜力的研究进展，这些手段可在小鼠与人类中用于治疗肥胖及代谢紊乱。