title: Hypothalamic Lipids: Key Regulators of Whole Body Energy Balance.
abstract: Hypothalamic lipid metabolism plays a major role in the physiological regulation of energy balance. Modulation of several enzymatic activities that control lipid biosynthesis, such as fatty acid synthase and AMP-activated protein kinase, impacts both feeding and energy expenditure. However, lipids can also cause pathological alterations in the hypothalamus. Lipotoxicity is promoted by excess lipids in tissues not suitable for their storage. A large amount of evidence has demonstrated that lipotoxicity is a pathophysiological mechanism leading to metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, and steatohepatitis. Current data have reported that, similar to what is observed in peripheral tissues, complex lipids such as ceramides and sphingolipids act as lipotoxic species at the hypothalamic level to impact metabolism. Here, we will review what is currently known about hypothalamic lipid metabolism and the modulation of energy homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-García
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernø
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diéguez
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059865:Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008055:Lipids / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids