White adipose tissue: Getting nervous
article
Neuroendocrine research has altered the traditional perspective of white adipose tissue (WAT) as a passive store of triglycerides. In addition to fatty acids, WAT produces many hormones and can therefore be designated as a traditional endocrine gland actively participating in the integrative physiology of fuel and energy metabolism, eating behaviour and the regulation of hormone secretion and sensitivity. WAT is controlled by humoral factors, para- and intracrine factors and by neural regulation. Sympathetic nerve fibres innervate WAT and stimulate lipolysis, leading to the release of glycerol and free fatty acids. In addition, recent research in rats has clearly shown a functional parasympathetic innervation of WAT. There appears to be a distinct somatotopy within the parasympathetic nuclei: separate sets of autonomic neurones in the brain stem innervate either the visceral or the subcutaneous fat compartment. We therefore propose that the central nervous system (CNS) plays a major role in the hitherto unexplained regulation of body fat distribution. Parasympathectomy induces insulin resistance with respect to glucose and fatty acid uptake in the innervated fat depot and has selective effects on local hormone synthesis. Thus, the CNS is involved not only in the regulation of hormone production by WAT, but also in its hormone sensitivity. The developments in this research area are likely to increase our insights in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders such as hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus type 2 and lipodystrophy syndromes.
Topics
Biomedical ResearchInsulin resistanceLeptinLipolysisParasymptheticSympatheticfatty acidglucoseglycerolhumoral antibodyinsulinlipidtriacylglycerolautonomic nervous systembody fatbrain stemcentral nervous system functionendocrine glandenergy metabolismfatty acid transportfeeding behaviorglucose transporthormonal regulationhormone releasehormone sensitivityhormone synthesishypertriglyceridemiainsulin resistancelipid storagelipodystrophylipolysismedical researchmetabolic disordernerve cellneuroendocrine systemnon insulin dependent diabetes mellitusnonhumanparacrine signalingparasympathetic innervationpathogenesispriority journalratregulatory mechanismreviewsubcutaneous fatsympathetic innervationsympathetic nervevagotomyviscerawhite adipose tissueAdaptation, PhysiologicalAdipose TissueAnimalsEndocrine SystemHumansLeptinParasympathetic Nervous SystemSympathetic Nervous System
TNO Identifier
237362
ISSN
09538194
Source
Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 15(11), pp. 1005-1010.
Pages
1005-1010
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