El tejido adiposo beige: Nuevas avenidas en el manejo de la obesidad

Abstract

Obesity, characterized by the expansion of adipose tissue, is responsible for systemic inflammation that is related to the etiopathogenesis of multiple pathologies; The discovery that adipose tissue is made up not only of white adipocytes that accumulate lipids, but also of brown and beige thermogenic adipocytes that consume fatty acids and glucose to generate heat, thus contributing to energy expenditure, has completely changed the view of adipose tissue.

Brown adipocytes express UCP1 in the basal state, however, its expression is limited in adult humans, while beige adipocytes in the basal state show a storage phenotype and upon receiving certain stimuli, especially cold and β-adrenergic stimulation, change to an energy dissipation phenotype, thus contributing to energy expenditure, weight loss and improved metabolic health in obese rodents.

Therefore, a detailed understanding of the origin, morphology, function, genetics is sought, as well as the triggering factors that intervene in the expression of thermogenic properties that allow the recruitment and activation of beige adipocytes and thus extrapolate the benefits observed in small mammals. to human beings.