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Biology and pathological implications of brown adipose tissue: promises and caveats for the control of obesity and its associated complications
Author(s) -
Tapia Pablo,
FernándezGalilea Marta,
Robledo Fermín,
Mardones Pablo,
Galgani José E.,
Cortés Víctor A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
biological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.993
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1469-185X
pISSN - 1464-7931
DOI - 10.1111/brv.12389
Subject(s) - brown adipose tissue , thermogenesis , biology , adipose tissue , energy homeostasis , human obesity , human health , neuroscience , physiology , obesity , endocrinology , medicine , environmental health
The discovery of metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans has fuelled the research of diverse aspects of this previously neglected tissue. BAT is solely present in mammals and its clearest physiological role is non‐shivering thermogenesis, owing to the capacity of brown adipocytes to dissipate metabolic energy as heat. Recently, a number of other possible functions have been proposed, including direct regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis and the secretion of a number of factors with diverse regulatory actions. Herein, we review recent advances in general biological knowledge of BAT and discuss the possible implications of this tissue in human metabolic health. In particular, we confront the claimed thermogenic potential of BAT for human energy balance and body mass regulation, mostly based on animal studies, with the most recent quantifications of human BAT.