Endocrinology and Metabolism

Review Article

Diabetes, obesity and metabolism
Brown Fat and Metabolic Health: The Diverse Functions of Dietary Components: Zachary Brown, Takeshi Yoneshiro; Endocrinol Metab. 2024;39(6):839-846. Published online November 20, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2024.2121

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Abstract PDF PubReader ePub: Brown and beige adipocytes utilize a variety of substrates for cold-induced thermogenesis, contributing to the clearance of metabolites in circulation and, consequently, metabolic health. Food-derived compounds that exhibit agonistic activity at temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential channels may serve as cold mimics to elicit thermogenesis and substrate utilization in brown adipose tissue (BAT). In addition to fatty acids and glucose, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are essential amino acids obtained from foods, are actively catabolized in BAT through mitochondrial BCAA carrier (MBC). The relative contribution of BCAAs to fueling the tricarboxylic acid cycle as a substrate (i.e., anaplerosis) is estimated to be relatively small, yet BCAA catabolism in BAT exerts a critical role in systemic insulin sensitivity. The nature of this apparent tension remained unclear until the recent discovery that active BCAA catabolism in BAT through MBC is critical for the synthesis of metabolites such as glutathione, which is delivered to the liver to improve hepatic insulin sensitivity through redox homeostasis. Novel mechanistic insights into the control of BAT function and systemic metabolism reveal the therapeutic potential of food-derived compounds for improving metabolic flexibility and insulin sensitivity.

Original Article

Endocrine Research
Danshen Extracts Prevents Obesity and Activates Mitochondrial Function in Brown Adipose Tissue: Yoon Hee Cho, Cheol Ryong Ku, Young-Suk Choi, Hyeon Jeong Lee, Eun Jig Lee; Endocrinol Metab. 2021;36(1):185-195. Published online February 24, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2020.835

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Background
Danshen has been widely used in oriental medicine to improve body function. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of water-soluble Danshen extract (DE) on weight loss and on activation proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) in obese mice.
Methods
BAT was isolated from 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, and expression of proteins related to mitochondrial biogenesis was confirmed in both brown preadipocytes and mature brown adipocytes treated with DE. For the in vivo study, low-density lipoprotein receptor knock out mice were divided into three groups and treated for 17 weeks with: standard diet; high fat diet (HFD); HFD+DE. Body weight was measured every week, and oral glucose tolerance test was performed after DE treatment in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. To observe the changes in markers related to thermogenesis and adipogenesis in the BAT, white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver of experimental animals, tissues were removed and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Results
DE increased the expression of uncoupling protein 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha in brown preadipocytes, and also promoted the brown adipocyte differentiation and mitochondrial function in the mature brown adipocytes. Reactive oxygen species production in brown preadipocytes was increased depending on the concentration of DE. DE activates thermogenesis in BAT and normalizes increased body weight and adipogenesis in the liver due to HFD. Browning of WAT was increased in WAT of DE treatment group.
Conclusion
DE protects against obesity and activates mitochondrial function in BAT.

Citations

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Pharmacological Benefits and Underlying Mechanisms of Salvia miltiorrhiza against Molecular Pathology of Various Liver Diseases: A Review
Cho Hyun Hwang, Eungyeong Jang, Jang-Hoon Lee
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.2023; 51(07): 1675. CrossRef

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