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Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging of Interscapular Brown Adipose Tissue
Published on: October 7, 2014
Revisiting adipose thermogenesis for delaying aging and age-related diseases: Opportunities and challenges
Stefano Tarantini1, Madhan Subramanian2, Joshua T Butcher2
1Vascular Cognitive Impairment, Neurodegeneration and Healthy Brain Aging Program, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Department of Health Promotion Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA; The Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Abstract:
Adipose tissue undergoes significant changes in structure, composition, and function with age including altered adipokine secretion, decreased adipogenesis, altered immune cell profile and increased inflammation. Considering the role of adipose tissue in whole-body energy homeostasis, age-related dysfunction in adipose metabolism could potentially contribute to an increased risk for metabolic diseases and accelerate the onset of other age-related diseases. Increasing cellular energy expenditure in adipose tissue, also referred to as thermogenesis, has emerged as a promising strategy to improve adipose metabolism and treat obesity-related metabolic disorders. However, translating this strategy to the aged population comes with several challenges such as decreased thermogenic response and the paucity of safe pharmacological agents to activate thermogenesis. This mini-review aims to discuss the current body of knowledge on aging and thermogenesis and highlight the unexplored opportunities (cellular mechanisms and secreted factors) to target thermogenic mechanisms for delaying aging and age-related diseases. Finally, we also discuss the emerging role of thermogenic adipocytes in healthspan and lifespan extension.
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