Brown and beige adipose tissue: a novel therapeutic strategy for obesity and T2DM
Obesity is characterized by the imbalance of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). WAT stores excess energy in the form of triglycerides, whereas BAT is a thermogenic tissue that plays a crucial role in maintaining the core body temperature. Activating BAT and instigating browning of WAT can encourage the intake of glycolipids and decrease the insulin secretion requirement. This can be an effective strategy to improve insulin resistance and glycolipids metabolism of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obese patients. Hence, Long Cheng and colleagues published a review paper in Taylor and Francis Journal under the title “Brown and beige adipose tissue: a novel therapeutic strategy for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus”. The summary of this review is given below:
Objective:
To elaborate on the importance of brown and beige adipose tissues in the treatment of T2DM and obesity.
To focus on the outcome of the browning agent on obesity and T2DM.
Method:
The review was conducted from the currently available evidence and scientific and medical knowledge.
Findings:
While there is a need for further research to address important issues, activating BAT and inducing WAT browning-mediated thermogenesis can be a new attractive strategy for ameliorating glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance for the treatment of obesity and T2DM. Some drugs have shown potency in activating BAT and inducing browning of WAT, however, the safety, efficiency, and specificity of these drugs are unanswered. Some Chinese medicine and plant extracts such as resveratrol, berberine, and curcumin have shown great progress in the experimental stage but need further study in order to understand the physiologic effect.
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