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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Adipocyte Cell Culture Model to Study the Impact of Protein and Micro-RNA Modulation on Adipocyte Function
Published on: May 4, 2021
Keynote review: the adipocyte as a drug discovery target
Andrea R Nawrocki1, Philipp E Scherer
1Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Abstract:
The adipocyte has pleiotropic functions beyond the storage of energy in times of nutrient abundance. Considerable efforts in adipocyte biology within the past ten years have emphasized the important role of adipose tissue in processes as diverse as energy metabolism, inflammation and cancer. Adipocytes are able to communicate with the brain and peripheral tissues implementing metabolic signals such as satiety, food intake and energy expenditure. Despite its huge pharmacological potential, only a small number of clinical applications interfere directly with adipocyte physiology. Here, we want to highlight various areas of adipocyte physiology that have not yet been explored pharmacologically and emphasize some of the limitations associated with these pharmacotherapies.
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