Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in obesity.
CONCLUSIONS
Current lifestyles with high-energy diets and little exercise are triggering an alarming growth in obesity. Excess of adiposity is leading to severe increases in associated pathologies, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis, asthma, and hypertension. This, together with the lack of efficient obesity drugs, is the driving force behind much research.


BACKGROUND
Traditional anti-obesity strategies focused on reducing food intake and increasing physical activity. However, recent results suggest that enhancing cellular energy expenditure may be an attractive alternative therapy.


RESULTS
This review evaluates recent discoveries regarding mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and its potential as a therapy for obesity. We focus on the still controversial beneficial effects of increased FAO in liver and muscle, recent studies on how to potentiate adipose tissue energy expenditure, and the different hypotheses involving FAO and the reactive oxygen species production in the hypothalamic control of food intake.


CONCLUSIONS
The present review aims to provide an overview of novel anti-obesity strategies that target mitochondrial FAO and that will definitively be of high interest in the future research to fight against obesity-related disorders.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona IBUB, Barcelona, Spain.
Dolors
D
Serra
Paula
P
Mera
Maria Ida
MI
Malandrino
Joan Francesc
JF
Mir
Laura
L
Herrero
D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects
D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D005227:Fatty Acids