Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Australia.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2012 Mar;44(3):435-40. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2011.12.011. Epub 2011 Dec 28.
Globally 30% of adults are overweight or obese. The white adipocyte is a major component of adipose tissue, and as the obesity epidemic increases it is critically important to understand the factors determining adipocyte development and function. Adipogenesis has two distinct phases; determination of the adipocyte from a multipotent stem cell, and terminal differentiation of a pre-adipocyte into a mature adipocyte. The environment encountered in early life can alter adipocyte number and size and potentially impact upon adipocyte endocrine function in adulthood. These alterations may contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic diseases and thus targeted therapy of the adipocyte has great potential for treating the current obesity epidemic.
全球有 30%的成年人超重或肥胖。白色脂肪细胞是脂肪组织的主要组成部分，随着肥胖症的流行，了解决定脂肪细胞发育和功能的因素至关重要。脂肪生成有两个明显的阶段：多能干细胞向脂肪细胞的决定，以及前脂肪细胞向成熟脂肪细胞的终末分化。生命早期遇到的环境可以改变脂肪细胞的数量和大小，并可能影响成年后的脂肪细胞内分泌功能。这些改变可能导致慢性疾病的病理生理学，因此针对脂肪细胞的靶向治疗具有治疗当前肥胖症流行的巨大潜力。
