Adiposa 2
Adiposa 2
Adiposa 2
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REVIEW
Integrative physiology of human adipose tissue
1 1 1 2 3
KN Frayn *, F Karpe , BA Fielding , IA Macdonald and SW Coppack
1 2
Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology
3
and Metabolism, University of Oxford, UK; University of Nottingham Medical
School, Nottingham, UK; and St Bartholomews and the Royal London School of Medicine, London, UK
Adipose tissue is now recognised as a highly active metabolic and endocrine organ. Great strides have been made in
uncovering the multiple functions of the adipocyte in cellular and molecular detail, but it is essential to remember that adipose
tissue normally operates as a structured whole. Its functions are regulated by multiple external influences such as autonomic
nervous system activity, the rate of blood flow and the delivery of a complex mix of substrates and hormones in the plasma.
Attempting to understand how all these factors converge and regulate adipose tissue function is a prime example of
integrative physiology. Adipose tissue metabolism is extremely dynamic, and the supply of and removal of substrates in the
blood is acutely regulated according to the nutritional state. Adipose tissue possesses the ability to a very large extent to
modulate its own metabolic activities, including differentiation of new adipocytes and production of blood vessels as necessary
to accommodate increasing fat stores. At the same time, adipocytes signal to other tissues to regulate their energy
metabolism in accordance with the bodys nutritional state. Ultimately adipocyte fat stores have to match the bodys overall
surplus or deficit of energy. This implies the existence of one (or more) signal(s) to the adipose tissue that reflects the bodys
energy status, and points once again to the need for an integrative view of adipose tissue function.
International Journal of Obesity (2003) 27, 875888. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802326
Keywords: adipose tissue; integrative physiology; fat balance; blood flow; autonomic innervation; secretory activity
Leptin
Adiponectin
Adipsin
TNFa
IL-6
TNF-soluble receptors
LPL
Resistin
FIAF
PAI-1
This is not an exhaustive list of factors secreted by adipose tissue, but reflects those
whose expression/secretion is regulated by energy balance. IL, interleukin; LPL,
lipoprotein lipase; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; TNF, tumour necrosis
factor.
In conclusion, adipose
tissue function can only be
truly understood when
studied in an integrated way
(Figure 5). There is much to
be learned still about the
regulation of TG storage in
adipose tissue. Key questions
for the future are (1) whether
there is a single or multiple,
signals from outside the
tissue that regulate adipocyte
fat storage pathways appro-
priately and, if so, what the
nature of such a signal might
be; and (2) whether indeed
adipose tissue, through
secretion of peptides and
metabolites, regulates
metabolic processes in other
tissues to help to achieve
appropriate fat balance. As
our understanding of the
integrative physiology of
adipose tissue increases, we
hope that these, and many
other aspects of adipose
tissue function, will be
clarified.
Acknowledgements
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Laurell H, Contreras JA.
Trust for support of our Molecular mechanisms
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