Cited by 302Adipose Tissue and MetabolismGut microbiota and healthAdipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases

Microbiota Depletion Impairs Thermogenesis of Brown Adipose Tissue and Browning of White Adipose Tissue

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Li, Baoguo, Li, Li, Li, Min, Lam, Sin Man, Wang, Guanlin, Wu, Yingga, Zhang, Hanlin, Niu, Chaoqun +6 more·2019·Cell Reports

Abstract

The relation between gut microbiota and the host has been suggested to benefit metabolic homeostasis. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige adipocytes facilitate thermogenesis to maintain host core body temperature during cold exposure. However, the potential impact of gut microbiota on the thermogenic process is confused. Here, we evaluated how BAT and white adipose tissue (WAT) responded to temperature challenges in mice lacking gut microbiota. We found that microbiota depletion via treatment with different cocktails of antibiotics (ABX) or in germ-free (GF) mice impaired the thermogenic capacity of BAT by blunting the increase in the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and reducing the browning process of WAT. Gavage of the bacterial metabolite butyrate increased the thermogenic capacity of ABX-treated mice, reversing the deficit. Our results indicate that gut microbiota contributes to upregulated thermogenesis in the cold environment and that this may be partially mediated via butyrate.

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  • Gut microbiota regulates whole‐body energy homeostasis in response to cold, nutrition, or fasting/feeding cycles through the production of SCFAs and secondary BAs.

    “Furthermore, gut microbiota has been described in the past two decades as a very important player in the regulation of whole‐body energy homeostasis, in response to diverse stimuli such as cold 165, 166, nutrition 167, 168, or fasting/feeding cycles 168, 169, 170, through the production of mediators such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and secondary BAs 167, 169.”

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Authors
Li, B., Li, L., Li, M., Lam, S. M., Wang, G., Wu, Y., Zhang, H., Niu, C., Zhang, X., Liu, X., Hambly, C., Jin, W., Shui, G., & Speakman, J. R.
Affiliations
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
  • University of Aberdeen (GB)
Corresponding author
Speakman, John R.
Venue
Cell Reports
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-03
Volume
26
Issue
10
Pages
2720-2737.e5
ISSN
2211-1247 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2918397108
Cited by
302
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 32 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 52 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 11
FWCI
23.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Aberdeen University Research Archive (Aberdeen University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (91649108)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB13030000)
  • Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Royal Society
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
Keywords
gut microbiota, brown adipose tissue, white adipose tissue browning, thermogenesis, UCP1, butyrate, germ-free mice, antibiotic-treated mice, cold exposure, beige adipocytes, bacterial metabolites
MeSH terms
Uncoupling Protein 1, Animals, Adipose Tissue, Brown, Cold Temperature, Humans, Male, Thermogenesis, Mice, Adipose Tissue, White, Microbiota

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