A scientific team has made an important discovery that explains the mechanism by which a key protein enhances the activation of “brown fat” responsible for burning energy and generating heat instead of storing it, which paves the way for the development of new treatments for obesity that go beyond traditional methods of suppressing appetite.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, reported that scientists have identified how this protein enhances the function of brown fat by supporting the growth of blood vessels and nerves within its tissues, which are vital components for its efficient functioning. Body fat is divided into white (to store energy) and brown (to burn energy to produce heat). Brown fat plays a pivotal role in regulating body temperature and metabolic health through the process of “thermogenesis.”
Dr. Farnaz Shamsi, the lead author of the study, explained that brown fat acts as an “energy consumption center,” pulling in nutrients and preventing their accumulation, converting chemical energy directly into heat instead of storing it. The effectiveness of these fats depends on a complex network of nerves connected to the brain and blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients.
The research showed that a protein known as SLIT3, secreted by brown fat cells, plays an important regulatory role in these networks. This protein is divided by the BMP1 enzyme into two parts, one of which promotes the growth of blood vessels while the other supports the growth of nerves within the fatty tissue. It was also discovered that one of its parts interacts with the PLXNA1 receptor, which regulates the neural network.
Experiments on mice confirmed that the absence of the SLIT3 protein or its related receptor led to a weakening of the structure of brown adipose tissue and a decrease in the density of vessels and nerves, which increased the animals’ sensitivity to cold and hindered their ability to regulate their body temperature. To confirm the connection to humans, analyzes of a large sample of adipose tissue revealed that the activity of the gene responsible for producing SLIT3 is associated with tissue health, levels of inflammation, and insulin sensitivity.
The importance of this discovery lies in the opportunity to develop treatments aimed at stimulating the activity of brown fat to increase the body’s overall energy consumption. Scientists stress that the effectiveness of brown fat depends not only on its presence, but also on the integrity of its internal structure, which enables it to perform its vital thermal function.
