Endocrine Abstracts

Recent data showed the existence of a specific adipocyte population composed of ‘brite’ cells in white adipose tissue (WAT), characterized by a peculiar gene expression pattern including PRDM16. Despite showing a low basal UCP1 expression, these cells display higher UCP1 expression when stimulated. In view of the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in energy homeostasis, the aim of our work is to establish whether the CB1 receptor could be a target for brown ph...

The comprehension of the network of metabolic processes may help the understanding of the molecular pathways driving obesity and related complications. However this is a hard task due to the large number of actors and their complex interplay. We aimed at exploring by targeted metabolomic the circulating metabolite profile in lean (NW, n=42; BMI: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) and age-matched overweight/obese (OB, n=37, BMI≥25.0 kg/m2), drug...

The pharmacological blockade of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) has been shown to counteract diet induced obesity (DIO). An unsolved question is whether the effects of CB1 blockade on energy balance are due to peripheral or central mechanisms. This is an important clinical issue since the CB1 antagonist drugs have recently been withdrawn from the market due to their psychiatric side effects, and novel drugs selectively acting at peripheral le...