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Alito A, Quartarone A, Leonardi G, Tisano A, Bruschetta A, Cucinotta F, Milardi D, Portaro S. Brown adipose tissue human biomarkers: Which one fits best? A narrative review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e32181. [PMID: 36482525 PMCID: PMC9726395 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000032181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adipose tissue (AT) is an endocrine metabolically dynamic active tissue that plays a central role in the systemic energy balance and metabolic regulation. Brown AT represents approximately 1% of adult human AT, with an energy-burning function that uses fat to create heat. Brown AT activity was measured using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. It has been shown that cold exposure could promote brown AT activation. However, many factors, such as aging and body mass index, may interfere with this activity. Many authors have discussed the role of factors specifically secreted by the AT in response to cold exposure. The aim of this review is to properly understand the effects of cold on AT and biomarkers and their possible application in rehabilitation medicine. A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify published studies regarding biomarkers of cold effects on Brown AT searching the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science, from 2012 to 2022. After evaluation of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 studies were included in this review. We reported the overall influence of cold exposure on brown AT activity, its related biomarkers, and metabolism, demonstrating that the therapeutic role of cold exposure needs to be better standardized. From our data, it is important to design proper clinical trials because most cold applied protocols lack a common and homogeneous methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Alito
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
- * Correspondence: Angelo Alito, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 1, Messina, Cap 98125, Italy (e-mail: )
| | | | - Giulia Leonardi
- Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Sports Medicine, Policlinico “G. Martino”, Messina, Italy
| | - Adriana Tisano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | | | - Demetrio Milardi
- Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Simona Portaro
- Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Sports Medicine, Policlinico “G. Martino”, Messina, Italy
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Watanabe M, Risi R, Tafuri MA, Silvestri V, D'Andrea D, Raimondo D, Rea S, Di Vincenzo F, Profico A, Tuccinardi D, Sciuto R, Basciani S, Mariani S, Lubrano C, Cinti S, Ottini L, Manzi G, Gnessi L. Bone density and genomic analysis unfold cold adaptation mechanisms of ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23290. [PMID: 34857816 PMCID: PMC8639971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02783-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The Fuegians, ancient inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, are an exemplary case of a cold-adapted population, since they were capable of living in extreme climatic conditions without any adequate clothing. However, the mechanisms of their extraordinary resistance to cold remain enigmatic. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a crucial role in this kind of adaptation, besides having a protective role on the detrimental effect of low temperatures on bone structure. Skeletal remains of 12 adult Fuegians, collected in the second half of XIX century, were analyzed for bone mineral density and structure. We show that, despite the unfavorable climate, bone mineral density of Fuegians was close to that seen in modern humans living in temperate zones. Furthermore, we report significant differences between Fuegians and other cold-adapted populations in the frequency of the Homeobox protein Hox-C4 (HOXC4) rs190771160 variant, a gene involved in BAT differentiation, whose identified variant is predicted to upregulate HOXC4 expression. Greater BAT accumulation might therefore explain the Fuegians extreme cold-resistance and the protection against major cold-related damage. These results increase our understanding of how ecological challenges have been important drivers of human–environment interactions during Humankind history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikiko Watanabe
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Renata Risi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mary Anne Tafuri
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Daniel D'Andrea
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Domenico Raimondo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Rea
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Vincenzo
- Natural History Museum-University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Italian Institute of Human Paleontology (IsIPU), Anagni-Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Profico
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Tuccinardi
- Unit of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa Sciuto
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Basciani
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Mariani
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Lubrano
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Saverio Cinti
- Center of Obesity, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Laura Ottini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucio Gnessi
- Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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