Global gene expression profiling of perirenal brown adipose tissue whitening in goat kids reveals novel genes linked to adipose remodeling

Background Brown adipose tissue(BAT)is known to be capable of non-shivering thermogenesis under cold stimulation,which is related to the mortality of animals.In the previous study,we observed that goat BAT is mainly located around the kidney at birth,and changes to white adipose tissue(WAT)in the perirenal adipose tissue of goats within one month after birth.However,the regulatory factors underlying this change is remain unclear.In this study,we systematically studied the perirenal adipose tissue of goat kids in histological,cytological,and accompanying molecular level changes from 0 to 28 d after birth.Results Our study found a higher mortality rate in winter-born goat kids,with goat birthing data statistics.Then we used thermal imaging revealing high temperature in goat hips at postnatal 0 d and gradually decrease during 28 d.This is consistent with the region of perirenal BAT deposition and highlights its critical role in energy expenditure and body temperature regulation in goat kids.Additionally,we found a series of changes of BAT during the first 28 d after birth,such as whitening,larger lipid droplets,decreased mitochondrial numbers,and down-regulation of key thermogenesis-related genes(UCP1,DIO2,UCP2,CIDEA,PPARGC1a,C/EBPb,and C/EBPa).Then,we used RNA-seq found specific marker genes for goat adipose tissue and identified 12 new marker genes for BAT and 10 new marker genes for WAT of goats.Furthermore,12 candidate genes were found to potentially regulate goat BAT thermogenesis.The mechanism of the change of this biological phenomenon does not involve a large-scale death of brown adipocytes and subsequent proliferation of white adipocytes.While apoptosis may play a limited role,it is largely not critical in this transition process.Conclusions We concluded that perirenal BAT plays a crucial role in thermoregulation in newborn goat kids,with notable species differences in the expression of adipose tissue marker genes,and we highlighted some potential marker genes for goat BAT and WAT.Additionally,the change from BAT to WAT does not involve a large-scale death of brown adipocytes and subsequent proliferation of white adipocytes.

Reorganization of 3D genome architecture across wild boar and Bama pig adipose tissues

Background:A growing body of evidence has revealed that the mammalian genome is organized into hierarchical layers that are closely correlated with and may even be causally linked with variations in gene expression.Recent studies have characterized chromatin organization in various porcine tissues and cell types and compared them among species and during the early development of pigs.However,how chromatin organization differs among pig breeds is poorly understood.Results:In this study,we investigated the 3D genome organization and performed transcriptome characterization of two adipose depots(upper layer of backfat[ULB]and greater omentum[GOM])in wild boars and Bama pigs;the latter is a typical indigenous pig in China.We found that over 95%of the A/B compartments and topologically associating domains(TADs)are stable between wild boars and Bama pigs.In contrast,more than 70%of promoterenhancer interactions(PEIs)are dynamic and widespread,involving over a thousand genes.Alterations in chromatin structure are associated with changes in the expression of genes that are involved in widespread biological functions such as basic cellular functions,endocrine function,energy metabolism and the immune response.Approximately 95%and 97%of the genes associated with reorganized A/B compartments and PEIs in the two pig breeds differed between GOM and ULB,respectively.Conclusions:We reported 3D genome organization in adipose depots from different pig breeds.In a comparison of Bama pigs and wild boar,large-scale compartments and TADs were mostly conserved,while fine-scale PEIs were extensively reorganized.The chromatin architecture in these two pig breeds was reorganized in an adipose depotspecific manner.These results contribute to determining the regulatory mechanism of phenotypic differences between Bama pigs and wild boar.

White adipose tissue browning and obesity

Obesity and metabolic disorders are major health concems 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 energy consumption is considered as a potential therapeutic strategy to treat obesity and its related disorders.

ICA-Unet:An improved U-net network for brown adipose tissue segmentation

Brown adipose tissue(BAT)is a kind of adipose tissue engaging in thermoregulatory thermogenesis,metaboloregulatory thermogenesis,and secretory.Current studies have revealed that BAT activity is negatively correlated with adult body weight and is considered a target tissue for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic-related diseases.Additionally,the activity of BAT presents certain differences between different ages and genders.Clinically,BAT segmentation based on PET/CT data is a reliable method for brown fat research.However,most of the current BAT segmentation methods rely on the experience of doctors.In this paper,an improved U-net network,ICA-Unet,is proposed to achieve automatic and precise segmentation of BAT.First,the traditional 2D convolution layer in the encoder is replaced with a depth-wise overparameterized convolutional(Do-Conv)layer.Second,the channel attention block is introduced between the double-layer convolution.Finally,the image information entropy(IIE)block is added in the skip connections to strengthen the edge features.Furthermore,the performance of this method is evaluated on the dataset of PET/CT images from 368 patients.The results demonstrate a strong agreement between the automatic segmentation of BAT and manual annotation by experts.The average DICE coeffcient(DSC)is 0.9057,and the average Hausdorff distance is 7.2810.Experimental results suggest that the method proposed in this paper can achieve effcient and accurate automatic BAT segmentation and satisfy the clinical requirements of BAT.

Common and distinct regulation of human and mouse brown and beige adipose tissues： a promising therapeutic target for obesity

Obesity, which underlies various metabolic and cardio- vascular diseases, is a growing public health challenge for which established therapies are inadequate. Given the current obesity epidemic, there is a pressing need for more novel therapeutic strategies that will help adult individuals to manage their weight. One promising therapeutic intervention for reducing obesity is to enhance energy expenditure. Investigations into human brown fat and the recently discovered beige/brite fat have galvanized intense research efforts during the past decade because of their pivotal roles in energy dissi- pation. In this review, we summarize the evolution of human brown adipose tissue （hBAT） research and dis- cuss new in vivo methodologies for evaluating energy expenditure in patients. We highlight the differences between human and mouse BAT by integrating and comparing their cellular morphology, function, and gene expression profiles. Although great advances in hBAT biology have been achieved in the past decade, more cellular models are needed to acquire a better under- standing of adipose-specific processes and molecular mechanisms. Thus, this review also describes the development of a human brown fat cell line, which could provide promising mechanistic insights into hBAT function, signal transduction, and development. Finally, we focus on the therapeutic potential and current limi- tations of hBAT as an anti-glycemic, anti-lipidemic, and weight loss-inducing ＇metabolic panacea＇.

Ginsenoside F1 administration promotes UCP1-dependent fat browning and ameliorates obesity-associated insulin resistance

Obesity-induced type 2 diabetes is mainly due to excessive free fatty acids leading to insulin resistance.Increasing thermogenesis is regarded as an effective strategy for hypolipidemia and hypoglycemia.Ginsenoside is a natural active component in Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer,and some of them enhance thermogenesis.However,there are few studies on the mechanism and target of ginsenosides enhancing thermogenesis.Using thermogenic protein uncoupling protein 1(UCP1)-luciferase reporter assay,we identifi ed ginsenoside F1 as a novel UCP1 activator in the ginsenosides library.Using pull down assay and inhibitor interference,we found F1 binds toβ3-adrenergic receptors(β3-AR)to enhance UCP1 expression via cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway.We also investigated the ability of F1 on energy metabolism in obesity-induced diabetic mice,including body weight,body composition and energy expenditure.The results of proteomics showed that F1 signifi cantly up-regulated thermogenesis proteins and lipolytic proteins,but down-regulated fatty acid synthesis proteins.Ginsenoside F1 increased thermogenesis and ameliorated insulin resistance specifi cally by promoting the browning of white adipose tissue in obese mice.Additionally,ginsenoside F1 improves norepinephrine-induced insulin resistance in adipocytes and hepatocytes,and shows a stronger mitochondria respiration ability than norepinephrine.These fi ndings suggest that ginsenoside F1 is a promising lead compound in the improvement of insulin resistance.

Immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissues in a rat orthotopic liver transplantation model

BACKGROUND: Acute rejection after liver transplantation is usually treated with large doses of immunosuppressants with severe toxic and side-effects, so it is imperative to find a safe and effective method for preventing and treating rejection. This study was designed to confirm the immunomodulatory effects of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vitro and investigate the tolerogenic features in a rat model of allogeneic liver transplantation. METHODS: MSCs were isolated from adipose tissue of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and cultured. In vitro, MSCs were added into a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) system to study the inhibitory effects of MSCs on the proliferation of T lymphocytes in Wistar rats. By using SD and Wistar rats as liver donors and recipients, an orthotopic liver transplantation model was established and the rats were divided into a MSC-treated group and a blank control group. On postoperative day 7, all rats were sacrificed, and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured. The pathological changes of liver tissue and apoptosis of hepatocytes were also assessed. RESULTS: In in vitro MLC, T lymphocyte proliferation in Wistar rats was significantly inhibited by 48.44%. In the MSC-treated group, the levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, IL-2 and IL-10 were 134.2 +/- 45.0 U/L, 162.5 +/- 30.5 U/L, 30.6 +/- 5.4 mu mol/L, 187.35 +/- 18.26 mu g/L and 193.95 +/- 37.62 mu g/L, and those in the blank control group were 355.6 +/- 54.3 U/L, 296.4 +/- 71.2 U/L, 145.7 +/- 28.6 +/- mol/L, 295.73 +/- 57.15 mu g/L and 75.12 +/- 11.23 mu g/L, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Pathological examination revealed that the rejection in the MSC-treated group was clearly alleviated compared with that in the blank control group. TUNEL indicated that the apoptosis of hepatocytes in the MSC-treated group was milder than that in the blank control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Adipose-derived MSCs clearly inhibit recipient-derived T lymphocyte proliferation in MLC and significantly alleviate acute rejection following orthotopic liver transplantation in rats.

Medium-Chain Triglyceride Activated Brown Adipose Tissue and Induced Reduction of Fat Mass in C57BL/6J Mice Fed High-fat Diet

Objective To investigate activation of brown adipose tissue （BAT） stimulated by medium-chain triglyceride （MCT）. Methods 30 Male C57BL/6J obese mice induced by fed high fat diet （HFD） were divided into 2 groups, and fed another HFD with 2% MCT or long-chain triglyceride （LCT） respectively for 12 weeks. Body weight, blood biochemical variables, interscapular brown fat tissue （IBAT） mass, expressions of mRNA and protein of beta 3-adrenergic receptors （β3-AR）, uncoupling protein-1 （UCP1）, hormone sensitive lipase （HSL）, protein kinase A （PKA）, and adipose triglyceride lipase （ATGL） in IBAT were measured. Results Significant decrease in body weight and body fat mass was observed in MCT group as compared with LCT group （P〈O.05） after 12 weeks. Greater increases in IBAT mass was observed in MCT group than in LCT group （P〈O.05）. Blood TG, TC, LDL-C in MCT group were decreased significantly, meanwhile blood HDL-C, ratio of HDL-C/LDL-C and norepinephrine were increased markedly. Expressions of mRNA and protein of β3-AR, UCP1, PKA, HSL, ATGL in BAT were greater in MCT group than in LCT group （P〈O.05）. Conclusion Our results suggest that MCT stimulated the activation of BAT, possible via norepinephrine pathway, which might partially contribute to reduction of the body fat mass in obese mice fed high fat diet.

Dedifferentiated fat cells: an alternative source of adult multipotent cells from the adipose tissues

When adipose-derived stem cells （ASCs） arc retrieved from the stromal vascular portion of adipose tissue, a large amount of mature adipocytes are often discarded. However, by modified ceiling culture technique based on their buoyancy, mature adipocytes can be easily isolated from the adipose cell suspension and dediffercn- tiated into lipid-frce fibroblast-like cells, named dediffercntiated fat （DFAT） cells. DFAT cells rc-establish active proliferation ability and undertake multipotent capacities. Compared with ASCs and other adult stem cells, DFAT cells showed unique advantages in their abundance, isolation and homogeneity. In this concise review, the establishment and culture methods of DFAT cells arc introduced and the current profiles of their cellular nature are summarized. Under proper inducti~,n culture in vitro or environment in vivo, DFAT cells could demonstrate adipogenic, osteogenic, chondrogenie and myogenic potentials. In angiogenie conditions, DFAT cells could exhibit perivascular characteristics antt elicit neovascularization. Our preliminary findings also suggested the pericyte phenotype underlying such cell lineage, which supported a novel interpretation about the common origin of mesenchymal stem cells and tissue-specific stem cells within blood vessel walls. Current research on DFAT cells indicated that this alternative source of adult multipotent cells has great potential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Prepartum body conditions affect insulin signaling pathways in postpartum adipose tissues in transition dairy cows

Background: Overconditioned dairy cows are susceptible to excessive lipolysis and increased insulin resistance during the transition period.The associations among body fat reserve,insulin resistance,and lipolysis in adipose tissues(AT) remain to be elucidated.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate whether excessive fat reserves influence the insulin signaling pathway in AT postpartum.Results: Twenty multiparous dairy cows were selected and assigned to one of two groups,according to prepartum body condition score(BCS): Control group(BCS = 3.0–3.5;n = 10) and Overconditioned group(BCS ≥ 4.0;n = 10).Blood samples were collected on days-14,-7,-4,-2,-1,0,1,2,4,7,and 14 relative to parturition.Subcutaneous AT were collected on day 2 following parturition for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses.No differences were observed between the two groups in serum glucose,non-esterified fatty acids,β-hydroxybutyric acid,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)α,insulin,or leptin concentrations during the experimental period.Compared with the control cows,the overconditioned cows had lower serum triglyceride levels and higher adiponectin concentrations.In the AT postpartum,insulin receptor mRNA and protein levels were lower in the overconditioned cows than in the control cows,and no differences were found in glucose transporter 4 mRNA.Compared with the control cows,the overconditioned cows had lower mRNA levels of TNFα and higher mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARγ) in AT postpartum.The phosphorylated protein kinase B(AKT) content and phosphorylation rate of AKT were increased in the overconditioned cows compared with the control cows,which suggested that the downstream insulin signaling in AT was affected.Conclusions: In the present study,transition dairy cows with higher BCS did not show more fat mobilization.The changes of insulin signaling pathway in AT postpartum of overconditioned cows may be partly related to the expression of PPARγ and TNFα,and the secretion of adiponectin.

Berberine Inhibits Gluconeogenesis in Skeletal Muscles and Adipose Tissues in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats via LKB1-AMPK-TORC2 Signaling Pathway

The effect and potential molecular mechanisms of berberine on gluconeogenesis in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues were investigated.After adaptive feeding for one week,8 rats were randomly selected as the normal group and fed on a standard diet.The remaining 32 rats were fed on a high-fat diet and given an intravenous injection of streptozotocin(STZ)for 2 weeks to induce the diabetic models.The diabetic rat models were confirmed by oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)and randomly divided into 4 groups(n=8 each),which were all fed on a high-fat diet.Berberine(3 g/kg per day)or metformin(183 mg/kg per day)was intragastrically administered to the diabetic rats for 12 weeks,serving as berberine group and metformin group respectively.5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide1-β-D-ribofuranoside[AICAR,an agonist of AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK),0.5 mg/kg per day]was subcutaneously injected to the diabetic rats for 12 weeks,serving as AICAR group.The remaining 8 diabetic rats served as the model group,which was given a 0.5%carboxyl methylcellulose solution by oral gavage.Fasting serum insulin(FINS),OGTT as well as lipid parameters were tested by commercial kit.The protein levels of liver kinase B1(LKB1),AMPK,phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase(p-AMPK),transducer of regulated CREB activity 2(TORC2),phosphorylated transducer of regulated CREB activity 2(p-TORC2),phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase(PEPCK),and glucose-6-phosphatase(G6Pase)in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues were examined by Western blotting.The results showed that berberine significantly decreased the body weight,plasma glucose,insulin levels,and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)of diabetic rats compared with those in the model group.Meanwhile,the serum total triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)levels were markedly decreased and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)level was significantly increased after the treatment with berberine.In addition,we found that berberine significantly increased the expression of p-AMPK and LKB1,while decreasing the p-TORC2 levels in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues.Moreover,the expression of PEPCK and G6Pase was significantly down-regulated after the treatment with berberine compared to the model group.It was suggested that the mechanism by which berberine inhibited peripheral tissue gluconeogenesis may be attributed to the activation of the LKB1-AMPK-TORC2 signaling pathway.

microRNA-32 promotes white fat browning through augmenting FGF21 expression in brown adipose tissue

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of microRNA-32 on cold-induced thermogenesis and brown adipocyte energy metabolism.METHODS To apply the cold-induced thermogenesis model in mice,8-10 week old male C57Bl6 mice were placed within a 6℃fridge for 7d.Control microRNA inhibitor or miR-32 inhibitor(10mg·kg-1)was administered via intraperitoneal injection 16 hbefore the mice were placed in the fridge.Daily core body temperatures were taken using a rectal temperature probe.Mice were euthanized after 7dand brown adipose tissue(BAT),inguinal and epididymal white adipose tissue(WAT),skeletal muscle and liver tissue analysed for changes in morphology and gene expression.RESULTS miR-32 inhibition in vivoinhibits the emergence of beige cells,which function like BAT cells,within WAT.In silico prediction and gene ontology analysis identified Tob1 as a likely target gene of miR-32.miR-32 inhibition led to increased expression of Tob1 whilst mutation of target sequence abolished this effect.Expression of brown adipose markers such as Ucp1,Pgc1α,Pparαand Prdm16 were significantly reduced in inguinal white adipose tissue(P<0.05).There was also a significant decrease in serumfgf21 levels due to the inhibition of Fgf21 expression in BAT(P<0.05).p38/MAPK signalling in brown adipose tissue was also significantly inhibited within brown adipose tissue leading to decreased fgf21 expression and secretion.CONCLUSION Our study shows that miR-32 plays a crucial role in stimulating beige cell emergence by activating p38/MAPK signalling during cold thermogenesis.miR-32 may prove effective as a treatment for obesity by activating cold-induced thermogenesis leading to increased energy metabolism.

Orexin receptor type 2 agonism inhibits thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue by attenuating afferent innervation

Orexin signaling has been associated with energy expenditure and brown adipose tissue(BAT)function.However,conflicting data exist in the field about how orexin signaling regulates BAT thermogenesis.In this study,we show that a specific orexin receptor type 2(OX2R)agonist[Ala11,D-Leu15]-OxB(OB-Ala)inhibited intrascapular brown adipose tissue(iBAT)thermogenesis by reducing sympathetic output to iBAT.This effect is mediated by OX2Rs located on afferent nerve endings innervating iBAT instead of brown adipocyte itself.Microinjection of OB-Ala into iBAT inhibited iBAT thermogenesis in mice upon cold exposure and neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus.Findings suggest that OB-Ala could inhibit iBAT thermogenesis by attenuating sensory input thereby inhibiting the sympathetic-sensory iBAT feedback loop.Our study uncovers a novel primary action site of orexin in the regulation of energy balance.

Transcriptional Features of Cattle Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissues: A Study of RNA-seq

Visceral and subcutaneous are the two major types of bovine adipose tissues, and they show metabolic and functional differences according to their distribution, exploring the transcriptional features of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues is necessary. In the present study, we conducted RNA-seq analysis to compare the transcriptome between visceral (great omental) and subcutaneous (backfat) adipose tissues from Chinese Simmental cattle and validate them by qRT-PCR. We found that 5864 genes were differentially expressed between two tissues, including 2979 up-regulated and 2885 down-regulated in visceral adipose tissue. Functional analysis revealed a variety of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in lipid metabolism and immune response processes. This may provide valuable information to further our understanding of the complexity of gene regulation governing the physiology of different fat depots. This work highlighted potential genes regulating lipid metabolism and immune responses;it may contribute to a better understanding of the metabolic and functional differences between visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues.

A Statistical Evaluation of Uncoupling Protein 1 in the Limited Area of Brown Adipose Tissue by Immunoelectron Microscopy

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expressed by the brown adipose tissue (BAT) in the mitochondrial crista acts as a homeostatic thermogenerator of eutherians. The evaluation of UCP1 expression in the BAT offers significant scientific insight, especially in studies targeting limited areas such as the periarterial and pericardial regions of small experimental mammals. However, the negligible amount of this adipose tissue would render the general quantitative evaluation of the protein unreliable because of lipid contamination and low protein concentration. To address this problem, we quantitatively evaluated UCP1 expression in the mitochondrion of the mouse interscapular BAT using immunoelectron microscopy and immunohistochemical studies using a combination of primary and secondary antibodies in scheme A (rabbit anti-UCP1 IgG/gold particle-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG), B (rabbit IgG/gold particle-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG), C (rabbit anti-UCP1 IgG/gold particle-unconjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG), and D (rabbit IgG/gold particle-unconjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG). Scheme A shows the immunopositive reaction of obvious gold particles in the mitochondrial area, whereas other procedures revealed less distinctive reactions. The distinctive gold particle immunoreaction comprised electrical high-density spots with a mean diameter of >5 nm. However, in scheme B, the electrical high-density spots were scattered outside the mitochondrion and were significantly smaller than 4 nm;schemes C and D demonstrated few immunoreactions. Logistic regression analysis between schemes A and B showed that the threshold diameter of the electrical high-density spots measuring >5 nm indicated a true positive immunoreaction to anti-UCP1 antibody specifically in the mitochondrial area. Minor statistical difference was observed in the primary anti-UCP1 antibody between polyclonal IgG and monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, immunoelectron microscopy might be useful for evaluating negligible protein expression in some limited areas, such as UCP1 expression in the BAT of small experimental animals.

Preliminary PET/CT Study of ^(18)F-FDG Uptake in Cervical and Supraclavicular Brown Adipose Tissue

OBJECTIVE The clinical use of PET/CT in oncology has led to the realization that 18F-FDG uptake in brown adipose tissue(BAT) can be a common cause of potentially misleading false-positive PET scans.The goal of this study was to study 18F-FDG uptake in cervical and supraclavicular regions and its characteristics with PET/CT.METHODSAll the PET/CT scans obtained at our institutionfrom July 2007 to January 2008 were retrospectively reviewed forincreased 18F-FDG uptake in BAT.The cases in which increased18F-FDG in cervical and supraclavicular regions was not localizedto a so -tissue mass or lymph node or muscle on the CT images,were included in this study.The following features were recorded:body weight,body mass index(BMI) and maximal standardizeduptake value(SUVmax).In these selected patients,the BAT uptake in other area of the body was also recorded.RESULTS PET/CT scans were obtained in 457 patients(259 males and 198 females).In all of the scans,cervical and supraclavicular BAT uptake was observed in 12 patients(2 males and 10 females) and was typically bilateral,symmetric and intense.The range of the SUVmax was 3.6～12.82(mean 6.9 ± 2.6).BAT uptake was more common in females than in males,showing a significant difference(P = 0.004).Although 18F-FDG uptake in BAT occurred more o en in underweight patients with low BMI,there was no difference in the body weight(P = 0.607) or BMI(P = 0.491) of these patients with hypermetabolic BAT compared with controls.CONCLUSION Hypermetabolic BAT uptake can be localized in cervical and supraclavicular regions with it occurring more commonly in females compared to males.Knowledge of this potential pitfall with PET/CT is important in improving diagnostic interpretation and accurate staging.

Adipose Tissue and Cachexia: White or Brown

The adipose tissue of the body is classified into two types: white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue;the former is mainly responsible for storing energy and the latter is to produce heat and dissipate energy. Recent research has shown that there is a third type of adipose tissue, namely white adipose tissue browning, i.e., brown adipose tissue existing inside the white adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue, which is converted from white adipose tissue, is similar to brown adipocytes in function. Browning is one of the important features of lipid metabolism of cancer cachexia. On the one hand, white adipose tissue affects metabolism through increasing the amount of heat consumption after browning, resulting in a decrease in fat;on the other hand, the browning process participates in the process of the occurrence and development of cancer cachexia. Two driving factors, interleukin-6 and parathyroid hormone related protein, play an important role in this browning process. They are secreted by tumor tissue, mainly through the exciting sympathetic nervous system to release norepinephrine, and act on β3 adrenergic receptor of the adipocytes and further activate the the transcription factors which corresponded heat-production gene expression such as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), leading to white adipose tissue browning. The browning process is the early event of the occurrence of cancer cachexia and continues throughout the entire process of cancer cachexia. Therefore, early detection of the browning process will facilitate the development of intervention approach, improving the clinical outcome of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment for cancer cachexia.

Alisol B 23-acetate promotes white adipose tissue browning to mitigate high-fat diet-induced obesity by regulating mTOR-SREBP1 signaling

Objective Obesity is a global health concern with management strategies encompassing bariatric surgery and anti-obesity drugs;however,concerns regarding complexities and side effects persist,driving research for more effective,low-risk strategies.The promotion of white adipose tissue(WAT)browning has emerged as a promising approach.Moreover,alisol B 23-acetate(AB23A)has demonstrated efficacy in addressing metabolic disorders,suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent in obesity management.Therefore,in this study,we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of AB23A for mitigating obesity by regulating metabolic phenotypes and lipid distribution in mice fed a high-fat diet(HFD).Methods An obesity mouse model was established by administration of an HFD.Glucose and insulin metabolism were assessed via glucose and insulin tolerance tests.Adipocyte size was determined using hematoxylin and eosin staining.The expression of browning markers in WAT was evaluated using Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.Metabolic cage monitoring involved the assessment of various parameters,including food and water intake,energy metabolism,respiratory exchange rates,and physical activity.Moreover,oil red O staining was used to evaluate intracellular lipid accumulation.A bioinformatic analysis tool for identifying the molecular mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine was used to examine AB23A targets and associated signaling pathways.Results AB23A administration significantly reduced the weight of obese mice,decreased the mass of inguinal WAT,epididymal WAT,and perirenal adipose tissue,improved glucose and insulin metabolism,and reduced adipocyte size.Moreover,treatment with AB23A promoted the expression of browning markers in WAT,enhanced overall energy metabolism in mice,and had no discernible effect on food intake,water consumption,or physical activity.In 3T3-L1 cells,AB23A inhibited lipid accumulation,and both AB23A and rapamycin inhibited the mammalian target of rapamycin-sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1(mTOR-SREBP1)signaling pathway.Furthermore,3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine,dexamethasone and insulin,at concentrations of 0.25 mmol/L,0.25μmol/L and 1μg/mL,respectively,induced activation of the mTOR-SREBP1 signaling pathway,which was further strengthened by an mTOR activator MHY1485.Notably,MHY1485 reversed the beneficial effects of AB23A in 3T3-L1 cells.Conclusion AB23A promoted WAT browning by inhibiting the mTOR-SREBP1 signaling pathway,offering a potential strategy to prevent obesity.