Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue and Aging.

Area of Science:

• Metabolic disease
• Adipose tissue biology
• Aging research

Background:

• Adipose tissue (AT) undergoes significant changes with aging, including increased inflammation and macrophage infiltration.
• Aging is associated with increased adiposity and decreased brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity, including reduced UCP1 expression.
• Dysfunctional AT can contribute to age-related metabolic alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the mechanisms underlying the reduction in BAT and beige adipocyte activity during aging.
• To identify potential therapeutic targets for age-related metabolic diseases.

Main Methods:

• This review synthesizes existing literature on aging, adipose tissue function, and metabolic alterations.
• It focuses on the cellular and molecular changes within adipose tissue depots.
• The review examines factors influencing brown and beige adipocyte function and progenitor cell behavior.

Main Results:

• Aging leads to dysfunctional AT with increased inflammatory peptides and decreased anti-inflammatory factors.
• There is a decline in BAT depots and activity, linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired sympathetic nervous system, and altered progenitor cell function.
• Beige adipocyte formation decreases with age, potentially due to changes in the adipose tissue microenvironment affecting progenitor cells.

Conclusions:

• The age-related decline in BAT and beige adipocyte function is multifactorial, involving cellular dysfunction and microenvironmental changes.
• Identifying these mechanisms provides potential therapeutic avenues for combating age-related metabolic diseases.