Cold acclimation in C57BL/6J mice induced an increase in brown adipocytes and an equal reduction in white adipocytes without changing total adipocyte count, suggesting direct transformation.
Does cold acclimation induce transformation of white to brown adipocytes in obesity-prone C57BL/6J mice?
Cold acclimation induces direct transformation of white into brown adipocytes in obesity-prone mice, suggesting a potential mechanism to harness for obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment.
White and brown adipocytes are believed to occupy different sites in the body. We studied the anatomical features and quantitative histology of the fat depots in obesity and type 2 diabetes-prone C57BL/6J mice acclimated to warm or cold temperatures. Most of the fat tissue was contained in depots with discrete anatomical features, and most depots contained both white and brown adipocytes. Quantitative analysis showed that cold acclimation induced an increase in brown adipocytes and an almost equal reduction in white adipocytes; however, there were no significant differences in total adipocyte count or any signs of apoptosis or mitosis, in line with the hypothesis of the direct transformation of white into brown adipocytes. The brown adipocyte increase was accompanied by enhanced density of noradrenergic parenchymal nerve fibers, with a significant correlation between the density of these fibers and the number of brown adipocytes. Comparison with data from obesity-resistant Sv129 mice disclosed a significantly different brown adipocyte content in C57BL/6J mice, suggesting that this feature could underpin the propensity of the latter strain to develop obesity. However, the greater C57BL/6J browning capacity can hopefully be harnessed to curb obesity and type 2 diabetes in patients with constitutively low amounts of brown adipose tissue.
Vitali et al. (Tue,) conducted a other in Obesity and type 2 diabetes-prone C57BL/6J mice. Cold acclimation vs. Warm acclimation and obesity-resistant Sv129 mice was evaluated on Anatomical features and quantitative histology of fat depots (brown and white adipocyte count). Cold acclimation in C57BL/6J mice induced an increase in brown adipocytes and an equal reduction in white adipocytes without changing total adipocyte count, suggesting direct transformation.