We have two types of adipose tissue (fat cells) - white and brown.
White adipose tissue is primarily fat storage.
Brown adipose tissue is capable of generating heat directly by metabolic processes. Not by shivering. Not by any muscle actions.
White fat cells, adipocytes, can convert to brown adipocytes.
This conversion is controlled, at least in part, by thyroid hormones.
(You might occasionally see discussion of beige adipocytes.)
Thyroid Hormones and Metabolism Regulation: Which Role on Brown Adipose Tissue and Browning Process?
Laura Sabatino 1 , Cristina Vassalle 2
Affiliations
PMID: 40149897 DOI: 10.3390/biom15030361
Abstract
Thyroid hormones (THs) are important modulators of many metabolic processes, being strictly associated with the control of energy balance, mainly through activities on the brain, white and brown adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreas. In this review, the principal mechanisms of TH regulation on metabolic processes will be discussed and THs' relevance in metabolic disease progression will be evaluated, especially in the cardiovascular context and correlated diseases. Moreover, we will discuss THs' regulatory role on metabolic events in white and brown adipose tissue, with a special focus on the process of "browning", which consists of the gradual acquisition by white adipocytes of the physical and functional characteristics of brown adipocytes. The advancements in research on molecular mechanisms and proposed physiopathological relevance of this process will be discussed.
Keywords: brown adipose tissue; browning; metabolism; thyroid hormones.
Sabatino, L., & Vassalle, C.
(2025). Thyroid Hormones and Metabolism Regulation: Which Role on Brown Adipose Tissue and Browning Process? Biomolecules, 15(3), 361.
https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15030361
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/3/361
29/03/2025
