White Adipose Tissue, Inert No More!

Browning of white adipose tissue by melatonin

There are two distinct types of adipose tissue which have different functions within the body, white (WAT) and brown (BAT). Browning of WAT occurs with increases in the WAT sympathetic nervous system (SNS) drive. In this regard we previously reported that melatonin (MEL) stimulation of MEL receptor 1A (MEL1a) within the SNS outflow to the WAT might be implicated in a naturally-occurring reversa...

Development of brown and white adipose tissue.

New concepts in white adipose tissue physiology

Numerous studies address the physiology of adipose tissue (AT). The interest surrounding the physiology of AT is primarily the result of the epidemic outburst of obesity in various contemporary societies. Briefly, the two primary metabolic activities of white AT include lipogenesis and lipolysis. Throughout the last two decades, a new model of AT physiology has emerged. Although AT was consider...

White adipose tissue grafts--keeping in contact.

WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE is no longer viewed as a somewhat unglamorous organ but has instead emerged as one of the current “hot spots” in physiological and biomedical research. Two key developments underlie this change. One is the rapid rise in the incidence of obesity, which now affects nearly one-third of adult Americans (2) and more than one in five of adults in the United Kingdom (14). Obesity ...

White adipose tissue browning and obesity

Obesity and metabolic disorders are major health concerns worldwide. Although a range of therapies have been developed, these pharmaceutical treatments often have adverse side effects or limited efficacy. Therefore, there is a growing need of novel therapeutics to prevent or treat obesity. Obesity is thought to be caused by an imbalance between energy intake and energy consumption. Increasing e...