Brown Adipose Tissue and Novel Management Strategies for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Therapy

Abstract

Brown adipose tissue (BAT), a unique tissue, plays a key role in metabolism and energy expenditure through adaptive nonshivering thermogenesis. It has recently become a therapeutic target in the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases. The thermogenic effect of BAT occurs through uncoupling protein-1 by uncoupling adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis from energy substrate oxidation. The review discusses the recent developments and progress associated with the biology, function, and activation of BAT, with a focus on its therapeutic potential for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The endocrine activity of brown adipocytes affects the energy balance and homeostasis of glucose and lipids, thereby affecting the association of BAT activity and the metabolic profile. PCOS is a complex reproductive and metabolic disorder of reproductive-age women. Functional abnormalities of adipose tissue (AT) have been reported in patients with PCOS. Numerous studies have shown that BAT could regulate the features of PCOS and that increases in BAT mass or activity were effective in the treatment of PCOS through approaches including cold stimulation, BAT transplantation and compound activation in various animal models. Therefore, BAT may be used as a novel management strategy for the patients with PCOS to improve women’s health clinically. It is highly important to identify key brown adipokines for the discovery and development of novel candidates to establish an efficacious therapeutic strategy for patients with PCOS in the future.

Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism in the Regulation of Thermogenic Brown Fats and Human Metabolic Diseases

“…Insulin-sensitizing agents such as metformin and medications such as SGLT2 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes can be used to improve the metabolic aspects in patients with PCOS; however, their efficacy on weight loss is potentially limited [ 75 ]. This leaves BAT as the potential therapeutic target for the treatment of PCOS because the pathology and management of PCOS are closely related to the physiological roles of BAT [ 76 ]. BAT activity tends to decrease in patients with PCOS owing to high central adiposity and obesity [ 77 ].…”

The Complex Roles of Adipokines in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Endometriosis

“…Its role is to regulate the bodies’ response to nutritional stress [ 17 ]. IL-6, myostatin, neuregulin 4 and growth-and-differentiation factor 15 are batokines regulating the function of various organs, such as the liver or skeletal muscle, and are also involved in disorders of the female reproductive system [ 18 , 19 ].…”

Enoxacin ameliorates polycystic ovary syndrome by promoting the browning of white adipose tissue and restoring gut dysbiosis

“…PCOS has been reported to be associated with white fat dysfunction, WAT browning has been previously demonstrated to increase the metabolic rate and insulin sensitivity, and has a therapeutic role in PCOS ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). Therefore, we performed a series of experiments to evaluate the effect of enoxacin on white fat in PCOS.…”

“…PCOS is a metabolic disease of endocrine disorders in women, and fat metabolism has been confirmed to be an effective therapeutic target ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). Brown adipose tissue transplantation can significantly improve metabolic symptoms and reproductive disorders, however, the operational feasibility is poor ( Yuan et al, 2016 ).…”