![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Excess calories stored in white adipose tissue (WAT) could be reduced either through the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) or the development of brown-like cells (“beige” or “brite”) in WAT, a process named “browning.” Calorie dissipation in brown and beige adipocytes might rely on the induction of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which is absent in white fat cells. Any increase in UCP1 is commonly considered as the trademark of energy expenditure. The intracellular events involved in the recruitment process of beige precursors were extensively studied lately, as were the effectors, hormones, cytokines, nutrients and drugs able to modulate the route of browning and theoretically affect fat mass in rodents and in humans. The aim of this review is to update the characterization of the extracellular effectors that induce UCP1 in WAT and potentially provoke calorie dissipation. The potential influence of metabolic cycling in energy expenditure is also questioned.
Abbreviations
| A2aR | = | adenosine 2a receptors |
| ANP | = | atrial natriuretic peptide |
| ARG | = | L-arginine |
| BAIBA | = | β -aminoisobutyric acid |
| β-GPA | = | β-guanidinopropionic acid |
| BAT | = | brown adipose tissue |
| BMP | = | bone morphogenic protein |
| CIT | = | L-citrulline |
| CLA | = | conjugated trans-10, cis-12 fatty acid |
| Cidea | = | cell death activator-A |
| Ebf2 | = | early B cell factor-2 |
| EPI | = | peri-epididymal |
| FA | = | fatty acids |
| FGF21 | = | fibroblast growth factor 21 |
| GDF | = | growth and differentiation factor |
| GLP1 | = | glucagon-like peptide 1 |
| HFD | = | high-fat diet |
| IL | = | interleukin |
| KLF | = | kruppel-like factor |
| MR | = | mineralocorticoid receptor |
| PG | = | prostaglandin |
| PEPCK-C | = | cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase |
| PGC-1α | = | peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α |
| PPAR | = | peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor |
| PPRE | = | PPAR element |
| RET | = | retroperitoneal |
| T2DM | = | type-2 diabetes mellitus |
| T3 | = | triiodothyronine |
| TCA | = | tricarboxylic acid |
| TAG | = | triacylglycerol |
| TGF | = | transforming growth factor |
| TZD | = | thiazolidinediones |
| UCP1 | = | uncoupling protein 1 |
| WAT | = | white adipose tissue |
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.