title: Human Brown Adipose Tissue: What We Have Learned So Far.
abstract: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a unique tissue that is able to convert chemical energy directly into heat when activated by the sympathetic nervous system. While initially believed to be of relevance only in human newborns and infants, research during recent years provided unequivocal evidence of active BAT in human adults. Moreover, it has become clear that BAT plays an important role in insulin sensitivity in rodents and humans. This has opened the possibility for exciting new therapies for obesity and diabetes. This review summarizes the current state of research with a special focus on recent advances regarding BAT and insulin resistance in human adults. Additionally, we provide an outlook on possible future therapeutic uses of BAT in the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Betz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden sven.enerback@medgen.gu.se.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enerbäck
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D022722:Thermogenesis; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C416371:PRDM16 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose