Cold-Induced Lipidomic Remodelling Is Associated With Brown Adipose Tissue Mean Radiodensity in Humans

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Physiology
• Lipidomics
• Brown Adipose Tissue Biology

Background:

• Cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue (BAT), promoting thermogenic and metabolic adaptations.
• BAT activation is associated with improved cardiometabolic health.
• The impact of acute cold exposure on the human circulating lipidome is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how acute cold exposure alters the plasma lipidome in humans.
• To explore the relationship between cold-induced lipid changes and brown adipose tissue (BAT) characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Plasma lipidomics profiling of 656 lipid species across 14 subclasses in 58 adults before and during 2-hour cold exposure.
• Mass spectrometry-based lipidomics was employed.
• Associations with BAT volume, activity, and mean radiodensity were assessed.

Main Results:

• Acute cold exposure increased circulating membrane-associated phospholipids.
• Triacylglycerol (TG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) species decreased, indicating a shift towards structural and signaling lipids.
• Cold-induced TG reductions correlated negatively with BAT mean radiodensity, linking lipid remodelling to BAT activation.

Conclusions:

• Acute cold exposure induces a distinct lipidomic signature in humans.
• Short-term BAT activation is associated with coordinated remodelling of circulating lipid networks.
• This lipid remodelling may reflect enhanced BAT lipid utilization and contribute to cardiometabolic benefits.