A Review of Structural Features, Biological Functions and Biotransformation Studies in Adipose Tissues and an Assessment of Progress and Implications

Abstract

Roles for adipose tissues in energy metabolism, health maintenance and disease onset have been established. Evidence indicates that white, brown and beige fats are quite different in terms of their cellular origin and biological characteristics, and these differences are of great significance in targeting adipocytes so as to study the pathogenesis and prevention strategies of related diseases. The biotransformations of white, brown and beige fat cells constitute an intriguing topic worthy of further study, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the biotransformations of white, brown and beige fat cells remain to be elucidated. Hence, we herein collected evidence from studies on adipose tissue or adipocytes, and we extracted the structural features, biologic functions, and biotransformations of adipose tissue/adipocytes. The aim of the present review was to summarize the latest research progress, and to propose novel research directions with respect to adipose tissue and adipocytes. We posit that this work will provide new insights and opportunities in the effective treatment strategies for obesity, diabetes and other lipid-related diseases, and it will contribute to our knowledge of the basic biologic underpinnings of adipocyte biology.