Brown Adipose Tissue Activation in Cancer Contexts
Summary
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a specialised form of fat distinguished by its capacity for non-shivering thermogenesis, driven primarily by uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in mitochondrial membranes. Beyond its established role in systemic energy expenditure and metabolic regulation, growing evidence indicates that BAT activation influences cancer biology through multiple mechanisms. Cold exposure or pharmacological agents that trigger BAT thermogenesis can lower circulating glucose levels and alter global metabolism, thereby impeding glycolysis-dependent tumour growth. Conversely, browning of adipose depots within the tumour microenvironment may furnish cancer cells with fuels such as free fatty acids and amino acids, potentially promoting proliferation and chemoresistance. In addition, BAT exhibits immunomodulatory properties and communicates with the nervous system, forming an immuno-neuro-adipose circuit that may affect immune infiltration in tumours. Clinically, imaging studies using positron emission tomography (PET) tracers designed to detect metabolic activity in BAT have revealed correlations between BAT activation and treatment response in haematological malignancies, while efforts to prevent incidental BAT uptake on 18F-FDG PET scans in young cancer patients have implications for accurate disease staging. Collectively, research on BAT in cancer contexts spans foundational mechanistic insights, potential therapeutic strategies exploiting BAT-mediated tumour suppression, and the pragmatic challenge of distinguishing pathological from physiological BAT activity in oncological imaging.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have demonstrated that a novel PET tracer capable of simultaneous detection of activated lymphocytes and adipocytes reveals a link between neuroinflammation and BAT activation in models of brain malignancy, suggesting an immuno-neuro-adipose circuit that may be relevant to human oncology. Investigations into strategies for mitigating incidental BAT activation on 18F-FDG PET scans in paediatric lymphoma patients have shown that simple warming protocols and β-blocker administration effectively reduce BAT uptake, improving diagnostic accuracy. Seminal work has also established that cold-induced BAT activation in tumour-bearing animals markedly decreases blood glucose availability, thereby inhibiting the growth of various solid tumours; removal of BAT or genetic ablation of UCP1 restores tumour progression, implicating thermogenic fat as a mediator of metabolic tumour suppression and a potential adjunct to conventional therapies.
Brown Adipose Tissue Activation in Cancer Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in brown adipose tissue activation in cancer contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Brown adipose tissue (BAT): A fat depot specialised for heat generation via mitochondrial uncoupling.
Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1): A mitochondrial protein that mediates proton leak and thermogenesis in BAT.
18F-FDG PET: Positron emission tomography using fluorodeoxyglucose to measure glucose uptake in tissues.
Thermogenesis: The biological process of heat production, notably in BAT.
Standardised uptake value (SUV): A semiquantitative index of radiotracer accumulation in PET imaging.
Tumour microenvironment: The local cellular and molecular milieu surrounding cancer cells, including adipocytes and immune cells.
References
- [18F]F-AraG imaging reveals association between neuroinflammation and brown- and bone marrow adipose tissue. Communications Biology (2024).
- Prevention of activated brown adipose tissue on 18F-FDG-PET scans of young lymphoma patients: results of an ancillary study within the EuroNet-PHL-C2 trial. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Brown-fat-mediated tumour suppression by cold-altered global metabolism. Nature (2022).
- Treatment Resulting Changes in Volumes of High-18F-FDG-Uptake Adipose Tissues over Orbit and Epicardium Correlate with Treatment Response for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- The evolving view of thermogenic fat and its implications in cancer and metabolic diseases. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2022).
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