Brown adipose tissue: endocrine determinants of function and therapeutic manipulation as a novel treatment strategy for obesity

INTRODUCTION: Recent observation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) being functional in adult humans provides a rationale for its stimulation to increase energy expenditure through ‘adaptive thermogenesis’ for an anti-obesity strategy. Many endocrine dysfunctions are associated with changes in metabolic rate that over time may result in changes in body weight. It is likely that human BAT plays a role in such processes. REVIEW: In this brief review article, we explore the endocrine determinants of BAT activity, and discuss how these insights may provide a basis for future developments of novel therapeutic strategies for obesity management. A review of electronic and print data comprising original and review articles retrieved from PubMed search up to December 2013 was conducted (Search terms: brown adipose tissue, brown fat, obesity, hormone). In addition, relevant references from the articles were screened for papers containing original data. CONCLUSION: There is promising data to suggest that targeting endocrine hormones for BAT modulation can yield a cellular bioenergetics answer for successful prevention and management of human obesity. Further understanding of the physiological link between various endocrine hormones and BAT is necessary for the development of new therapeutic options. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40608-014-0013-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.