A UCLA-led study has identified a neural pathway to brown adipose tissue (BAT) with potential implications for obesity treatment. This discovery may enable targeted activation of her BAT, providing a new approach to weight loss solutions.
a University of California Los AngelesA team of researchers led by Dr. O’Brien has discovered a neural pathway that feeds brown adipose tissue (BAT), a type of tissue that releases chemical energy from fat metabolism as heat. This discovery could pave the way for the use of BAT in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic conditions.
For the first time, the researchers describe this nerve supply in detail and provide examples of how manipulating it changes BAT activity, a first step toward understanding how it can be harnessed therapeutically. said Dr. Preeti Srikantan, lead author and professor in the Department of Medicine. He specializes in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism and is director of the Center for Metabolic Neuroregulation at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. The largest deposits of BAT are in the neck.
Importance of the sympathetic nervous system
“We know from the literature so far that the sympathetic nervous system is the main ‘on switch’ for BAT activity,” Srikantan said. “However, the sympathetic nervous system is also involved in many other stimulatory effects on organs such as the heart and intestines. It has been difficult to find ways to increase activity in BAT alone, so these sympathetic nervous system By discovering the pathway that leads to BAT, we will be able to explore ways to harness the nerves to deliver highly specific stimuli to activate BAT.”
The paper was published in a peer-reviewed journal on October 4th. pro swan.
Research methods and their significance
The researchers dissected the necks of eight cadavers and traced the distribution of sympathetic nerve branches in the fat pad above the clavicle. They found nerve branches in every dissection from the 3rd and 4th cervical nerves to his BAT. Furthermore, they demonstrated that BAT activity was altered in clinical cases where neck pathology affected neural changes, such as increased BAT temperature after tumor removal.
“We need to find long-term solutions for obesity and we are lucky to have effective drugs such as Wigoby and Munjaro, but people need to take them long-term to lose weight,” Sri Mr. Cantin said.
The researchers hope to use the knowledge gained from this study to find ways to induce BAT to generate a continuous source of fat-burning heat.
“There is literature suggesting that these drugs work by stimulating BAT, and we are conducting separate studies to confirm that,” she said. “By identifying the neural pathways supplying BAT, we hope to explore ways to chronically stimulate the nerves to BAT and hopefully achieve similar weight loss therapeutic effects.”
Research limitations
Limitations of the study include the small number of cadavers dissected, the older age of the donated cadavers, and the lower amount of BAT compared to younger cadavers.
Reference: “Sympathetic innervation of supraclavicular brown adipose tissue: a detailed anatomical study” Shunpei Moe, Ryan S. Beyer, Breno Bernardes de Souza, Julie M. Sorg, Donald B. Hoover, Harold S. Sacks, Michael C. Fishbein, Grace Chan, Warwick J. Peacock, May A. St. John, James Roe, Michael E. Simmons, Olujimi A. Ajijola, Kalyanam Shivkumar, Priti Srikantan, October 2023 4th of the month pro swan.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290455
Co-authors of the study are Dr. Shunpei Mori, Dr. Ryan Beyer, Dr. Breno Bernardes de Souza, Dr. Julie Sorg, Dr. Harold Sachs, Dr. Michael Fishbein, Dr. Grace Chan, Dr. Warwick Peacock, Dr. May St. John, Dr. Olujimi Ajijola and Dr. Kalyanam Shivkumar of UCLA.Dr. Donald Huber of East Tennessee State University, and Dr. James Roe and Dr. Michael Simmons of East Tennessee State University. University of NottinghamEngland.
This research was funded by: National Institutes of Health (OT2OD023848).
