Regulatory mechanism of white adipocyte browning and research advances

Abstract

Adipose tissue has energy storage and metabolic functions, and its content is highly correlated with an individual’s obesity status. The relative proportions of white adipocytes, brown adipocytes, and beige adipocytes are also important in regulating individual metabolic levels. White adipocytes function as energy stores, Brown adipocytes can consume energy through heat production. It has indicated that under certain stimulus conditions, some white adipocytes can exhibit characteristics similar to those of brown adipocytes, a process known as browning of white adipocytes, leading to the production of beige adipocytes. Activating browning of white adipocytes is an effective way to control obesity. This article describes the research progress related to the browning of white adipocytes, focusing on the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation, hormones, mitochondrial morphology-associated proteins, and local thermal stimulation on cell browning. Regulating the composition ratio of adipocytes improves the individual metabolic level and thus provides some theoretical basis for the treatment of obesity.