Brown Adipose Tissue as a Therapeutic Target for Obesity: From Mice to Humans

ABSTRACT

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a site of sympathetically activated non-shivering thermognenesis during cold exposure and after spontaneous hyperphagia, thereby involving in the autonomic regulation of energy balance and body fatness. Recent radionuclide studies have demonstrated the existence of metabolically active BAT in adult humans. Human BAT is activated by acute cold exposure, particularly in winter, and contributes to cold-induced increase in whole-body energy expenditure. The metabolic activity of BAT is lower in older and obese individuals. The inverse relationship between the BAT activity and body fatness suggests that BAT, because of its energy dissipating activity, is protective against body fat accumulation. In fact, either repeated cold exposure or daily ingestion of some food ingredients acting on transient receptor potential channels recruited BAT in association with increased energy expenditure and decreased body fatness. Thus, BAT is a promising target for combating obesity and related metabolic disorders in humans.