• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Innovative Strategy to Activate Brown Fat Boosts Calorie Burn and Combats Obesity in Mice

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
September 17, 2025
in Health
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered a groundbreaking cellular mechanism in brown adipose tissue that may revolutionize approaches to obesity and metabolic disease treatment. By delving into the metabolic pathways within brown fat, they identified an alternative heat-generating system centered on peroxisomes, small organelles typically overlooked in energy metabolism research. This novel insight opens new avenues for harnessing the energy-burning capabilities of brown fat to combat insulin resistance and obesity, offering hope for innovative therapies beyond conventional diet and exercise.

Brown fat, distinct from white fat, plays a vital role in thermogenesis—the production of heat by burning calories. Historically, mitochondria in brown fat cells have been credited with this heat generation, chiefly through a protein known as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). UCP1 facilitates the dissipation of the proton gradient generated during cellular respiration, releasing energy as heat instead of storing it as ATP. This process supports temperature regulation, especially in cold environments, and has been proposed as a target for weight loss since activating brown fat increases energy expenditure.

Surprisingly, earlier studies revealed that brown fat in mice lacking UCP1 still managed to generate heat and consume calories, indicating the presence of yet unidentified “back-up” heat-producing systems. In a recent study published in Nature, the research team led by Dr. Irfan Lodhi unearthed that peroxisomes, organelles involved in lipid metabolism, serve as this critical alternative source of thermogenesis. They demonstrated that peroxisomes in brown fat cells ramp up both in number and metabolic activity when exposed to cold, especially compensating when UCP1-dependent mitochondrial heat production is impaired.

Central to this alternative thermogenic pathway is a peroxisomal enzyme called acyl-CoA oxidase 2 (ACOX2). This enzyme orchestrates the breakdown of branched-chain fatty acids within peroxisomes, a metabolic process that consumes energy and results in heat production. Through genetic manipulation, researchers found that mice deficient in ACOX2 within their brown fat exhibited impaired cold tolerance, reduced heat output, and showed metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance and a propensity for obesity when subjected to high-fat diets.

Conversely, mice engineered to overexpress ACOX2 in their brown fat displayed a remarkable metabolic advantage. These animals maintained higher body temperatures during cold exposure, demonstrated improved glucose homeostasis, and resisted weight gain even when consuming calorie-dense diets. These findings underscore the functional significance of ACOX2-driven peroxisomal metabolism as a metabolic amplifier capable of enhancing energy expenditure and protecting against diet-induced metabolic dysfunction.

To visualize and quantify these effects at the cellular level, the researchers employed innovative tools including a fluorescent heat sensor that illuminated increased cellular temperatures upon ACOX2-mediated metabolism of specific fatty acid substrates. Complementary infrared thermal imaging corroborated diminished heat generation in mice lacking ACOX2, painting a compelling picture of peroxisomal thermo-metabolic activity’s role in whole-body energy balance.

Intriguingly, the branched fatty acids metabolized by ACOX2 are not exclusive to endogenous synthesis. They are also sourced from dietary components such as dairy products and human breast milk, as well as produced by certain gut microbiota. This raises the tantalizing prospect of nutritional or probiotic interventions tailored to augment this peroxisomal heat-generating pathway. Such strategies could pave the way for non-invasive, accessible therapies aimed at enhancing metabolic rates and mitigating obesity and insulin resistance.

While the current investigations are conducted in murine models, there is mounting evidence supporting the translational relevance of this pathway in humans. Previous epidemiological studies noted a correlation between elevated plasma levels of these branched fatty acids and lower body mass indices among individuals, although causality remains to be definitively established. The research team is actively pursuing clinical studies to test whether dietary supplementation or pharmacological activation of ACOX2 can amplify this metabolic circuitry in people.

The study not only broadens the fundamental understanding of brown fat biology but also challenges the orthodox view that mitochondrial UCP1 activity is the sole driver of thermogenesis in adipose tissue. It highlights peroxisomes as dynamic, energetically significant organelles that contribute critically to systemic energy homeostasis. This dual thermogenic mechanism offers redundancy during cold stress and possibly other metabolic challenges, underscoring the evolutionary importance of maintaining body temperature and metabolic flexibility.

From a therapeutic standpoint, activating ACOX2 presents a promising target for drug development. The authors have filed a provisional patent through Washington University to explore pharmacological means of enhancing ACOX2 activity and thus stimulating peroxisomal heat production. If successful, this approach could complement or even outperform traditional weight-loss methods by harnessing the body’s intrinsic energy-burning capacity with potentially fewer side effects or compliance issues than current treatments.

Ultimately, these findings illuminate a sophisticated metabolic interplay within brown fat that orchestrates the breakdown of specialized fatty acids to generate heat and regulate glucose metabolism. The peroxisomal metabolism pathway adds a vital dimension to the regulation of energy expenditure, making it a compelling focus for future research aimed at tackling the global epidemic of obesity and metabolic disorders. As Dr. Lodhi emphasizes, modulating this pathway may facilitate sustainable weight control and metabolic health, transforming paradigms in obesity management.

This comprehensive investigation marks a significant stride toward leveraging the body’s natural thermogenic machinery to combat metabolic disease. It invites scientists, clinicians, and nutritionists alike to rethink current strategies, consider novel metabolic targets, and embrace an integrated approach incorporating cellular metabolism, dietary factors, and microbial contributions to holistic metabolic wellness.

Subject of Research: Brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and metabolic regulation via peroxisomal metabolism

Article Title: Peroxisomal metabolism of branched fatty acids regulates energy homeostasis

News Publication Date: 17-Sep-2025

Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09517-7

References: Liu X, He A, Lu D, Hu D, Tan M, Abere A, Goodarzi P, Ahmad B, Kleiboeker B, Finck BN, Zayed M, Funai K, Brestoff JR, Javaheri A, Weisensee P, Mittendorfer B, Hsu F, Van Veldhoven PP, Razani B, Semenkovich CF, Lodhi IJ. Peroxisomal metabolism of branched fatty acids regulates energy homeostasis. Nature. Sept. 17, 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09517-7.

Image Credits: Weisensee Lab

Keywords: Brown adipose tissue, metabolism, peroxisomes, acyl-CoA oxidase 2, thermogenesis, branched fatty acids, obesity, insulin resistance, energy expenditure

Tags: alternative heat generation in brown fatbrown adipose tissue researchbrown fat activationcalorie burning mechanismscellular mechanisms of obesitycombating metabolic disease in miceinnovative therapies for insulin resistancemetabolic pathways in adipose tissueobesity treatment strategiesperoxisomes in energy metabolismrole of uncoupling protein 1thermogenesis and weight loss

Tags: ACOX2 enzymebrown fat activationcalorie burning mechanismsmetabolic disease researchobesity treatment strategiesperoxisomal metabolismperoxisome energy metabolism
Share14Tweet9Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Targeting MCL1: New Therapies for Lethal Prostate Cancer

October 8, 2025

Analyzing Methadone Levels in Post-Mortem Cases

October 8, 2025

New Vaccine Demonstrates Potential Against Typhoid and Invasive Salmonella in Initial Human Trial

October 8, 2025

AI Chatbot Enhances Nursing Education: Egypt vs. Saudi Arabia

October 8, 2025

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1056 shares
    Share 422 Tweet 264
  • New Study Reveals the Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

    99 shares
    Share 40 Tweet 25
  • New Study Indicates Children’s Risk of Long COVID Could Double Following a Second Infection – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

    95 shares
    Share 38 Tweet 24
  • Ohio State Study Reveals Protein Quality Control Breakdown as Key Factor in Cancer Immunotherapy Failure

    78 shares
    Share 31 Tweet 20

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Ultrasound Nomogram Predicts Thyroid Cancer Spread

Targeting MCL1: New Therapies for Lethal Prostate Cancer

Analyzing Methadone Levels in Post-Mortem Cases

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Success! An email was just sent to confirm your subscription. Please find the email now and click 'Confirm' to start subscribing.

Join 63 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.