Lipidomics revealed the superior anti-obesity effect of brown adipose tissue in obese mice

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been reported to possess the potential to ameliorate diet-induced obesity. However, the molecular mechanism of BAT activation in alleviating obese states remains unclear. This study investigated the physiology and BAT index of high-fat diet-induced and normal chow mice after 3 weeks of mild cold treatment. Body weights and lipid accumulations in BAT and white adipose tissue were significantly decreased by cold treatment. Lipidomics analysis showed that chronic cold treatment caused the remodeling of major lipid classes in BAT, especially species and phospholipid content, plus the mitochondrial morphology. Evidence indicated mitochondrial biogenesis and thermogenesis, and all the effects caused by BAT activation were more pronounced in obese mice. Taken together, our study revealed that phospholipid metabolism is the fundamental requirement in the anti-obesity effect of BAT.

Practical Applications: Chronic mild cold treatment induced a significant alteration of lipid species and content in BAT and improvement in overall lipid metabolism. Apart from biogenesis and thermogenesis, the categories and morphology of mitochondria were also significantly altered. Though obese mice have inactivated BAT with impaired mitochondria, the superior effect caused by BAT activation on obese mice than control mice indicated the great potential to be evoked. This article may provide lifestyle guidelines for the population with overweight and obesity, especially in teenagers and children.