Till Andreas, Fries Charlotte, Fenske Wiebke K
Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University Medical Center Bonn, D-53127 Bonn, Germany.
Brain Sci. 2022 Dec 1;12(12):1646. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12121646.
The body of mammals harbors two distinct types of adipose tissue: while cells within the white adipose tissue (WAT) store surplus energy as lipids, brown adipose tissue (BAT) is nowadays recognized as the main tissue for transforming chemical energy into heat. This process, referred to as 'non-shivering thermogenesis', is facilitated by the uncoupling of the electron transport across mitochondrial membranes from ATP production. BAT-dependent thermogenesis acts as a safeguarding mechanism under reduced ambient temperature but also plays a critical role in metabolic and energy homeostasis in health and disease. In this review, we summarize the evolutionary structure, function and regulation of the BAT organ under neuronal and hormonal control and discuss its mutual interaction with the central nervous system. We conclude by conceptualizing how better understanding the multifaceted communicative links between the brain and BAT opens avenues for novel therapeutic approaches to treat obesity and related metabolic disorders.
白色脂肪组织（WAT）中的细胞将多余能量以脂质形式储存，而棕色脂肪组织（BAT）如今被认为是将化学能转化为热量的主要组织。这个过程被称为“非颤抖性产热”，它通过线粒体内膜上的电子传递与ATP生成解偶联来实现。依赖BAT的产热在环境温度降低时起到保护机制的作用，同时在健康和疾病状态下的代谢及能量稳态中也发挥着关键作用。在这篇综述中，我们总结了在神经和激素控制下BAT器官的进化结构、功能及调节，并讨论了它与中枢神经系统的相互作用。我们通过概念化更好地理解大脑与BAT之间多方面的通信联系如何为治疗肥胖及相关代谢紊乱开辟新的治疗途径来得出结论。
