Advances in BAT physiology for understanding and translating into Pharmacotherapies for obesity and comorbidities

With obesity growing in epidemic proportions and very few medical drugs that can be used for longterm there has been a need for some pharmacotherapy that can help maintain weight loss on longterm basis Thus we made a PUBMED search for articles related to BAT metabolism in obesity using the MeSH terms brown fat beige brite adipocytes activation of BAT cold induced activation mechanism of action and found articles of which we selected articles for this review Duplicate articles were not included and those reviewed in our earlier articles were also not included No meta analysis was also done We identified different kinds of drugs capable of activating brown asipocyte BAT thermogenenesis and classified them into groups with group acting on beta adrenoceptors group on noradrenaline uptake on peroxisome proliferator activated receptor PPAR gamma which included mostly the thazolidinedione group currently used for diabetes treatment of which pioglitazone is the most common one although not much studies have been done to study their action on BAT thermogenesis Confirmation of BAT activation was done with use of F fluorodeooxo glucose by PET CT Studies Of class mirabegron offers most promise be in used currently for overactive bladder Many miscellaneous drugs like caffeine nicotine curcumin capsaicin forskolin FGF have been considered as class Further role of BAT transplantation has been highlighted with very little BAT available for drug action to be of help in treating obesity