Pellegrinelli Vanessa, Carobbio Stefania, Vidal-Puig Antonio
University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 OQQ, UK.
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
Diabetologia. 2016 Jun;59(6):1075-88. doi: 10.1007/s00125-016-3933-4. Epub 2016 Apr 4.
White adipose tissue (WAT) has key metabolic and endocrine functions and plays a role in regulating energy homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. WAT is characterised by its capacity to adapt and expand in response to surplus energy through processes of adipocyte hypertrophy and/or recruitment and proliferation of precursor cells in combination with vascular and extracellular matrix remodelling. However, in the context of sustained obesity, WAT undergoes fibro-inflammation, which compromises its functionality, contributing to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Conversely, brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of WAT represent potential therapeutic approaches, since dysfunctional white adipocyte-induced lipid overspill can be halted by BAT/browning-mediated oxidative anti-lipotoxic effects. Better understanding of the cellular and molecular pathophysiological mechanisms regulating adipocyte size, number and depot-dependent expansion has become a focus of interest over recent decades. Here, we summarise the mechanisms contributing to adipose tissue (AT) plasticity and function including characteristics and cellular complexity of the various adipose depots and we discuss recent insights into AT origins, identification of adipose precursors, pathophysiological regulation of adipogenesis and its relation to WAT/BAT expandability in obesity and its associated comorbidities.
白色脂肪组织（WAT）具有关键的代谢和内分泌功能，在调节能量平衡和胰岛素敏感性方面发挥作用。WAT的特点是能够通过脂肪细胞肥大和/或前体细胞的募集与增殖过程，结合血管和细胞外基质重塑，对多余能量做出适应性反应并进行扩张。然而，在持续性肥胖的情况下，WAT会发生纤维炎症，这会损害其功能，增加2型糖尿病和心血管疾病的风险。相反，棕色脂肪组织（BAT）和WAT的褐色化代表了潜在的治疗方法，因为功能失调的白色脂肪细胞引起的脂质溢出可以通过BAT/褐色化介导的氧化抗脂毒性作用来阻止。近几十年来，更好地理解调节脂肪细胞大小、数量和储存库依赖性扩张的细胞和分子病理生理机制已成为研究热点。在这里，我们总结了有助于脂肪组织（AT）可塑性和功能的机制，包括各种脂肪储存库的特征和细胞复杂性，并讨论了关于AT起源、脂肪前体的鉴定、脂肪生成的病理生理调节及其与肥胖及其相关合并症中WAT/BAT扩张性的关系的最新见解。
