Exp Mol Med.
2017 Jul;49(7):e353. 10.1038/emm.2017.70.
Induction of thermogenic adipocytes: molecular targets and thermogenic small molecules
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea. kwpark@skku.edu
- 2Department of Medicine, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- 3Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
- KMID: 2388351
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2017.70
Abstract
- Adipose tissue is a central metabolic organ that controls energy homeostasis of the whole body. White adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess energy in the form of triglycerides, whereas brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates energy in the form of heat through mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1). A newly identified adipose tissue called "˜beige fat' (BAT-like) is produced through a process called WAT browning. This tissue mainly resides in WAT depots and displays intermediate characteristics of both WAT and BAT. Since the recent discovery of BAT in the human body, along with the identification of molecular targets for BAT activation, stimulating energy expenditure has been considered as a great strategy to treat human obesity and metabolic diseases. Here we summarize recent findings regarding molecular targets and thermogenic small molecules that can stimulate BAT and increase energy expenditure, with an emphasis on possible therapeutic applications in humans.
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