1 6182 135 THE IMPACT OF ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED MIRNAS IN METABOLIC SYNDROME, OBESITY, AND CANCER. OBESITY IS A MULTIFACTORIAL AND COMPLEX CONDITION THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY ABNORMAL AND EXCESSIVE WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE ACCUMULATION, WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF METABOLIC DISEASES, SUCH AS TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, AND SEVERAL TYPES OF CANCER. OBESITY IS CHARACTERIZED BY EXCESSIVE ADIPOSE TISSUE ACCUMULATION AND ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERATIONS IN IMMUNITY, DISPLAYING A CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION PROFILE. ADIPOSE TISSUE IS A DYNAMIC AND COMPLEX ENDOCRINE ORGAN COMPOSED NOT ONLY BY ADIPOCYTES, BUT SEVERAL IMMUNOLOGICAL CELLS, WHICH CAN SECRETE HORMONES, CYTOKINES AND MANY OTHER FACTORS CAPABLE OF REGULATING METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS AND SEVERAL CRITICAL BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS. REMARKABLY, ADIPOSE TISSUE IS A MAJOR SOURCE OF CIRCULATING MICRORNAS (MIRNAS), RECENTLY DESCRIBED AS A NOVEL FORM OF ADIPOKINES. SEVERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED MIRNAS ARE DEEPLY ASSOCIATED WITH ADIPOCYTES DIFFERENTIATION AND HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN OBESITY-ASSOCIATED INFLAMMATION, INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT. DURING OBESITY, ADIPOSE TISSUE CAN COMPLETELY CHANGE THE PROFILE OF THE SECRETED MIRNAS, INFLUENCING CIRCULATING MIRNAS AND IMPACTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS, SUCH AS OBESITY, METABOLIC SYNDROME, AND CANCER. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS HOW MIRNAS CAN ACT AS EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AFFECTING ADIPOGENESIS, ADIPOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION, LIPID METABOLISM, BROWNING OF THE WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE, GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, IMPACTING DEEPLY OBESITY AND METABOLIC DISEASES. MOREOVER, WE CHARACTERIZE HOW MIRNAS CAN OFTEN ACT AS ONCOGENIC AND TUMOR SUPPRESSOR MOLECULES, SIGNIFICANTLY MODULATING CANCER ESTABLISHMENT AND PROGRESSION. FURTHERMORE, WE HIGHLIGHT IN THIS MANUSCRIPT HOW ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED MIRNAS CAN FUNCTION AS IMPORTANT NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGETS. 2020 2 4022 36 LSD1 FOR THE TARGETED REGULATION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE. WHITE AND THERMAL (BROWN AND BEIGE) ADIPOSE TISSUE ENERGY STORAGE AND OXIDATIVE REGULATION PATHWAYS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING THE ENERGY BALANCE THROUGHOUT THE BODY, AND THE DYSREGULATION OF THESE PATHWAYS IS CLOSELY RELATED TO GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM DISORDERS AND ADIPOSE TISSUE DYSFUNCTION, INCLUDING OBESITY, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, INSULIN RESISTANCE, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, AND FIBROSIS. RECENT EPIGENETIC STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED THE NOVEL REGULATORY ELEMENT LSD1, WHICH CONTROLS THE ABOVE PARAMETERS, AND HAVE PROVIDED NEW MECHANISTIC POSSIBILITIES FOR RE-ENCODING THE FATE AND FUNCTION OF ADIPOCYTES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE OUTLINE THE CURRENT ADVANCES IN ADIPOCYTE METABOLISM IN PHYSIOLOGY AND DISEASE AND DISCUSS POSSIBLE STRATEGIES FOR LSD1 TO ALTER THE PHENOTYPE OF ADIPOSE TISSUE AND THUS INFLUENCE ENERGY UTILIZATION TO IMPROVE METABOLIC HEALTH. 2022 3 2699 41 EXCESS BODY WEIGHT: NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO ITS ROLES IN OBESITY COMORBIDITIES. EXCESS BODY WEIGHT IS A GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM DUE TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND UNHEALTHY DIET, AFFECTING 2 BILLION POPULATION WORLDWIDE. OBESITY IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR METABOLIC DISEASES. NOTABLY, THE METABOLIC RISK OF OBESITY LARGELY DEPENDS ON BODY WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION, OF WHICH VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUES BUT NOT SUBCUTANEOUS FATS ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY COMORBIDITIES, INCLUDING TYPE 2 DIABETES, NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER. LATEST MULTI-OMICS AND MECHANISTICAL STUDIES REPORTED THE CRUCIAL INVOLVEMENT OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, ADIPOKINES DYSREGULATION, IMMUNITY CHANGES, IMBALANCE OF WHITE AND BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUES, AND GUT MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS IN MEDIATING THE PATHOGENIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUES AND COMORBIDITIES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXPLORE THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND THE UP-TO-DATE MECHANISM OF HOW EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND OBESITY LEAD TO CHRONIC COMPLICATIONS. WE ALSO EXAMINE THE UTILIZATION OF VISCERAL FAT MEASUREMENT AS AN ACCURATE CLINICAL PARAMETER FOR RISK ASSESSMENT IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND CLINICAL OUTCOME PREDICTION IN OBESE SUBJECTS. IN ADDITION, CURRENT APPROACHES FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND ITS RELATED METABOLIC COMORBIDITIES ARE FURTHER DISCUSSED. 2023 4 6291 51 THE POTENTIAL TO FIGHT OBESITY WITH ADIPOGENESIS MODULATING COMPOUNDS. OBESITY IS AN INCREASINGLY SEVERE PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, WHICH BRINGS HUGE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BURDENS. INCREASED BODY ADIPOSITY IN OBESITY IS NOT ONLY TIGHTLY ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, BUT ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES THE RISKS OF OTHER CHRONIC DISEASES INCLUDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, FATTY LIVER DISEASES AND CANCERS. ADIPOGENESIS DESCRIBES THE PROCESS OF THE DIFFERENTIATION AND MATURATION OF ADIPOCYTES, WHICH ACCUMULATE IN DISTRIBUTED ADIPOSE TISSUE AT VARIOUS SITES IN THE BODY. THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF WHITE ADIPOCYTES ARE TO STORE ENERGY AS FAT DURING PERIODS WHEN ENERGY INTAKE EXCEEDS EXPENDITURE AND TO MOBILIZE THIS STORED FUEL WHEN ENERGY EXPENDITURE EXCEEDS INTAKE. BROWN/BEIGE ADIPOCYTES CONTRIBUTE TO NON-SHIVERING THERMOGENESIS UPON COLD EXPOSURE AND ADRENERGIC STIMULATION, AND THEREBY PROMOTE ENERGY CONSUMPTION. THE IMBALANCE OF ENERGY INTAKE AND EXPENDITURE CAUSES OBESITY. RECENT INTEREST IN EPIGENETICS AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS HAS UTILIZED SMALL MOLECULE TOOLS AIMED AT MODIFYING OBESITY-SPECIFIC GENE EXPRESSION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS COMPOUNDS WITH ADIPOGENESIS-RELATED SIGNALING PATHWAYS AND EPIGENETIC MODULATING PROPERTIES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC AGENTS WHICH CAST SOME LIGHT ON THE FUTURE TREATMENT OF OBESITY. 2022 5 241 79 ADIPOCYTE, IMMUNE CELLS, AND MIRNA CROSSTALK: A NOVEL REGULATOR OF METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION AND OBESITY. OBESITY IS CHARACTERIZED AS A COMPLEX AND MULTIFACTORIAL EXCESS ACCRETION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE (AT) ACCOMPANIED WITH ALTERATIONS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE THAT AFFECTS VIRTUALLY ALL AGE AND SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS AROUND THE GLOBE. THE ABNORMAL ACCUMULATION OF AT LEADS TO SEVERAL METABOLIC DISEASES, INCLUDING NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISORDER (NAFLD), LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM), CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS (CVDS), AND CANCER. AT IS AN ENDOCRINE ORGAN COMPOSED OF ADIPOCYTES AND IMMUNE CELLS, INCLUDING B-CELLS, T-CELLS AND MACROPHAGES. THESE IMMUNE CELLS SECRETE VARIOUS CYTOKINES AND CHEMOKINES AND CROSSTALK WITH ADIPOKINES TO MAINTAIN METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS AND LOW-GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. A NOVEL FORM OF ADIPOKINES, MICRORNA (MIRS), IS EXPRESSED IN MANY DEVELOPING PERIPHERAL TISSUES, INCLUDING ATS, T-CELLS, AND MACROPHAGES, AND MODULATES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE. MIRS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE, MAINTAINING THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT, AND OBESITY-ASSOCIATED INFLAMMATION (OAI). THE ABNORMAL REGULATION OF AT, T-CELLS, AND MACROPHAGE MIRS MAY CHANGE THE FUNCTION OF DIFFERENT ORGANS INCLUDING THE PANCREAS, HEART, LIVER, AND SKELETAL MUSCLE. SINCE OBESITY AND INFLAMMATION ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED, THE DYSREGULATED EXPRESSION OF MIRS IN INFLAMMATORY ADIPOCYTES, T-CELLS, AND MACROPHAGES SUGGEST THE IMPORTANCE OF MIRS IN OAI. THEREFORE, IN THIS REVIEW ARTICLE, WE HAVE ELABORATED THE ROLE OF MIRS AS EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AFFECTING ADIPOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION, IMMUNE RESPONSE, AT BROWNING, ADIPOGENESIS, LIPID METABOLISM, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR), GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS, OBESITY, AND METABOLIC DISORDERS. FURTHER, WE WILL DISCUSS A SET OF ALTERED MIRS AS NOVEL BIOMARKERS FOR METABOLIC DISEASE PROGRESSION AND THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR OBESITY. 2021 6 4886 32 OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER PREGNANCY: PART 1: PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EPIGENETIC CONSEQUENCES. OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY BEFORE CONCEPTION AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE WEIGHT GAIN DURING PREGNANCY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOCRINOLOGICAL CHANGES OF MOTHER AND FETUS. INSULIN RESISTANCE PHYSIOLOGICALLY INCREASES DURING PREGNANCY, ADDITIONAL OBESITY FURTHER INCREASES INSULIN RESISTANCE. IN COMBINATION WITH REDUCED INSULIN SECRETION THIS LEADS TO GESTATIONAL DIABETES WHICH MAY DEVELOP INTO TYPE-2-DIABETES. THE ADIPOSE TISSUE PRODUCES TNF-ALPHA, INTERLEUKINS AND LEPTIN AND UPREGULATES THESE ADIPOKINES. INSULIN RESISTANCE AND OBESITY INDUCE INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES AND VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION, WHICH EXPLAINS THE INCREASED RATE OF PREGNANCY-RELATED HYPERTENSION AND PRE-ECLAMPSIA IN OBESE PREGNANT WOMEN. BETWEEN 14 AND 28 GESTATIONAL WEEKS, THE FETAL ADIPOSE TISSUE IS GENERATED AND THE NUMBER OF FAT LOBULES IS DETERMINED. THEREAFTER, AN INCREASE IN ADIPOSE TISSUE IS ARRANGED BY AN ENLARGEMENT OF THE LOBULES (HYPERTROPHY), OR EVEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FAT CELLS (HYPERPLASIA). HUMAN AND ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT MATERNAL OBESITY "PROGRAMMES" THE OFFSPRING FOR FURTHER OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE. PREGNANT WOMEN, MIDWIVES, PHYSICIANS AND HEALTH CARE POLITICIANS SHOULD BE BETTER INFORMED ABOUT PREVENTION, PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS, AND THE BURDEN FOR SOCIETY CAUSED BY OBESITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER PREGNANCY. 2014 7 6713 48 VISCERAL ADIPOSITY SYNDROME. THE ASSOCIATION OF ANTHROPOMETRIC (WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE) AND HEMODYNAMIC (BLOOD PRESSURE) CHANGES WITH ABNORMALITIES IN GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM HAS BEEN MOTIVATION FOR A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS IN THE LAST 30 YEARS. NOWADAYS, BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY MASS INDEX/ABDOMINAL CIRCUMFERENCE, GLYCEMIA, TRIGLYCERIDEMIA, AND HDL-CHOLESTEROL CONCENTRATIONS ARE CONSIDERED IN THE DEFINITION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME, REFERRED AS VISCERAL ADIPOSITY SYNDROME (VAS) IN THE PRESENT REVIEW. HOWEVER, MORE THAN 250 YEARS AGO AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISCERAL AND MEDIASTINAL OBESITY WITH HYPERTENSION, GOUT, AND OBSTRUCTIVE APNEA HAD ALREADY BEEN RECOGNIZED. EXPANSION OF VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE SECONDARY TO CHRONIC OVER-CONSUMPTION OF CALORIES STIMULATES THE RECRUITMENT OF MACROPHAGES, WHICH ASSUME AN INFLAMMATORY PHENOTYPE AND PRODUCE CYTOKINES THAT DIRECTLY INTERFERE WITH INSULIN SIGNALING, RESULTING IN INSULIN RESISTANCE. IN TURN, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) MANIFESTS ITSELF IN VARIOUS TISSUES, CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERALL PHENOTYPE OF VAS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE, IR RESULTS IN LIPOLYSIS, INCREASED FREE FATTY ACIDS RELEASE AND WORSENING OF INFLAMMATION, SINCE FATTY ACIDS CAN BIND TO TOLL-LIKE RECEPTORS. IN THE LIVER, IR RESULTS IN INCREASED HEPATIC GLUCOSE PRODUCTION, CONTRIBUTING TO HYPERGLYCEMIA; IN THE VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM AND KIDNEY, IR RESULTS IN VASOCONSTRICTION, SODIUM RETENTION AND, CONSEQUENTLY, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. OTHER PLAYERS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF VAS, SUCH AS GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, EPIGENETIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AN UNFAVOURABLE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT AND THE GUT MICROBIOTA. MORE RECENTLY, EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM PARTICIPATES IN MODULATING VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE. THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IS RELATED TO ADIPOSE TISSUE FUNCTION AND DIFFERENTIATION THROUGH BETA1, BETA2, BETA3, ALPHA1, AND ALPHA2 ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS. THE RELATION IS BIDIRECTIONAL: SYMPATHETIC DENERVATION OF ADIPOSE TISSUE BLOCKS LIPOLYSIS TO A VARIETY OF LIPOLYTIC STIMULI AND ADIPOSE TISSUE SEND INPUTS TO THE BRAIN. AN IMBALANCE OF SYMPATHETIC/PARASYMPATHETIC AND ALPHA2 ADRENERGIC/BETA3 RECEPTOR IS RELATED TO VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE STORAGE AND INSULIN SENSITIVITY. THUS, IN ADDITION TO THE WELL-KNOWN FACTORS CLASSICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH VAS, ABNORMAL AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY ALSO EMERGES AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR REGULATING WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS COMPLEX ROLE OF ADIPOSE TISSUE IN THE VAS. 2016 8 4455 39 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS FOR THE VICIOUS CYCLE BETWEEN INSULIN RESISTANCE AND THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN OBESITY. THE COMPREHENSIVE ANABOLIC EFFECTS OF INSULIN THROUGHOUT THE BODY, IN ADDITION TO THE CONTROL OF GLYCEMIA, INCLUDE ENSURING LIPID HOMEOSTASIS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MODULATION, ESPECIALLY IN ADIPOSE TISSUE (AT). THE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY, DEFINED AS A BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) >/= 30 KG/M(2), HAS BEEN INCREASING WORLDWIDE ON A PANDEMIC SCALE WITH ACCOMPANYING SYNDEMIC HEALTH PROBLEMS, INCLUDING GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR), AND DIABETES. IMPAIRED TISSUE SENSITIVITY TO INSULIN OR IR PARADOXICALLY LEADS TO DISEASES WITH AN INFLAMMATORY COMPONENT DESPITE HYPERINSULINEMIA. THEREFORE, AN EXCESS OF VISCERAL AT IN OBESITY INITIATES CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS THAT INTERFERE WITH INSULIN SIGNALING VIA INSULIN RECEPTORS (INSRS). MOREOVER, IN RESPONSE TO IR, HYPERGLYCEMIA ITSELF STIMULATES A PRIMARILY DEFENSIVE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBSEQUENT RELEASE OF NUMEROUS INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND A REAL THREAT OF ORGAN FUNCTION DETERIORATION. IN THIS REVIEW, ALL COMPONENTS OF THIS VICIOUS CYCLE ARE CHARACTERIZED WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN INSULIN SIGNALING AND BOTH THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSES RELATED TO OBESITY. INCREASED VISCERAL AT ACCUMULATION IN OBESITY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE MAIN ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISRUPTION IN THE EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, RESULTING IN AUTOIMMUNITY AND INFLAMMATION. 2023 9 4711 34 NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN OBESE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A ROLE FOR NUTRITION? NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BECOME THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN CHILDREN, PARALLELING THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY WORLDWIDE. THE PATHOGENESIS OF PAEDIATRIC NAFLD IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, BUT IT IS KNOWN THAT OBESITY, NUTRITION, LIFESTYLE VARIABLES, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS MAY BE CAUSALLY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COMMON METABOLIC LIVER DISEASE. IN PARTICULAR, OBESITY AND NUTRITION ARE AMONG THE STRONGEST RISK FACTORS FOR PAEDIATRIC NAFLD, WHICH MAY EXERT THEIR ADVERSE HEPATIC EFFECTS ALREADY BEFORE BIRTH. EXCESS ENERGY INTAKE INDUCES HYPERTROPHY AND HYPERPLASIA OF ADIPOSE TISSUE WITH SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMIC INSULIN RESISTANCE, WHICH IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR NAFLD. DIET COMPOSITION AND IN PARTICULAR SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE (ESPECIALLY HIGH FRUCTOSE INTAKE) MAY PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD, WHEREAS NON-DIGESTIBLE CARBOHYDRATES (DIETARY FIBER), BY AFFECTING GUT MICROBIOTA, MAY FAVOUR THE INTEGRITY OF GUT WALL AND REDUCE INFLAMMATION, OPPOSING THIS PROCESS. SATURATED FAT INTAKE MAY ALSO PROMOTE NAFLD DEVELOPMENT, WHEREAS UNSATURATED FAT INTAKE HAS SOME BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. PROTEIN INTAKE DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD, BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED. IN CONCLUSION, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS TO INDUCE WEIGHT LOSS, THROUGH DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, REMAIN THE MAINSTAY OF TREATMENT FOR PAEDIATRIC NAFLD. THE USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, SUCH AS OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AND PROBIOTICS, NEEDS FURTHER STUDY BEFORE RECOMMENDATION. 2022 10 4396 42 MODULATION OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION BY QUERCETIN: THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON OBESITY. OBESITY HAS BECOME A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. MOREOVER, OBESITY INDUCES CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN ADIPOSE TISSUE, LIVER, SKELETAL MUSCLE, AND THE VASCULAR SYSTEM. QUERCETIN IS THE MAJOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FLAVONOID SUBCLASS OF FLAVONOLS, WHICH IS UBIQUITOUSLY CONTAINED WITHIN NATURAL PLANTS SUCH AS GREEN TEA, AND VEGETABLES, INCLUDING ONIONS AND APPLES. RESEARCHERS HAVE FOCUSED GREATER ATTENTION TO THE BENEFICIAL PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLES OF QUERCETIN, WHICH HAS ANTI-OXIDATIVE, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, AND ANTI-FIBROTIC EFFECTS ON INSULIN RESISTANCE AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN OBESITY-RELATED DISEASES. ALSO, THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF QUERCETIN ON INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN OBESITY. IN ADDITION, THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE THAT QUERCETIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC ACTIVITIES IN CANCER, AND IN MATERNAL UNDERNUTRITION DURING GESTATION AND LACTATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUS ON THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF QUERCETIN, ITS DIETARY SOURCES IN OBESITY, AND ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS ON INSULIN RESISTANCE, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA, AND MATERNAL UNDER-NUTRITION WITH EPIGENETIC ACTIVITY. 2020 11 44 37 A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON HIGH -FAT DIET-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS: AN EPIGENETIC VIEW. MODERN LIFESTYLE, GENETICS, NUTRITIONAL OVERLOAD THROUGH HIGH-FAT DIET ATTRIBUTED PREVALENCE AND DIABETES OUTCOMES WITH VARIOUS COMPLICATIONS PRIMARILY DUE TO OBESITY IN WHICH ENERGY-DENSE DIETS FREQUENTLY AFFECT METABOLIC HEALTH. ONE POSSIBLE ISSUE USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH ELEVATED CHRONIC FAT INTAKE IS INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND HYPERGLYCEMIA CONSTITUTES AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION IN ALTERING THE CARBOHYDRATES AND LIPIDS METABOLISM. SIMILARLY, IN ASSESSING HUMAN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO WEIGHT GAIN AND OBESITY, GENETIC VARIATIONS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE, CONTRIBUTING TO KEEN INTEREST IN IDENTIFYING THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS AS A MEDIATOR OF GENE-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING THE PRODUCTION OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS RELATED CONCERNS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS FACTORS IN RESPONSE TO ENERGY INTAKE AND EXPENDITURE IMBALANCES COMPLEMENT GENETIC ALTERATIONS AND LEAD TO THE PRODUCTION AND ADVANCEMENT OF METABOLIC DISORDERS SUCH AS DIABETES AND OBESITY. METHYLATION OF DNA, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND INCREASES IN THE EXPRESSION OF NON-CODING RNAS CAN RESULT IN REDUCED TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY OF KEY BETA-CELL GENES THUS CREATING INSULIN RESISTANCE. EPIGENETICS CONTRIBUTE TO CHANGES IN THE EXPRESSION OF THE UNDERLYING INSULIN RESISTANCE AND INSUFFICIENCY GENE NETWORKS, ALONG WITH LOW-GRADE OBESITY-RELATED INFLAMMATION, INCREASED ROS GENERATION, AND DNA DAMAGE IN MULTIORGANS. THIS REVIEW FOCUSED ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND METABOLIC REGULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-FAT DIET (HFD)-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS. 2022 12 1373 29 DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. OBESE PREGNANT WOMEN MAY TRANSMIT THEIR METABOLIC PHENOTYPE TO OFFSPRING, LEADING TO A CYCLE OF OBESITY AND DIABETES OVER GENERATIONS. EARLY CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREDICTS NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD), THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC HUMAN LIVER DISEASE. THE FETUS MAY BE VULNERABLE TO STEATOSIS BECAUSE IMMATURE FETAL ADIPOSE DEPOTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO BUFFER THE EXCESS TRANSPLACENTAL LIPID DELIVERY IN MATERNAL OBESITY. IN ANIMAL MODELS, IN UTERO HIGH-FAT DIET EXPOSURE RESULTS IN AN INCREASE IN THE ACCUMULATION OF LIVER TRIGLYCERIDES IN OFFSPRING AND INCREASED HEPATIC OXIDATIVE STRESS AND APOPTOSIS, PERHAPS PRIMING THE LIVER FOR LATER DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD. INNATE IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AND NECROINFLAMMATORY CHANGES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN POSTNATAL OFFSPRING LIVER OF ANIMALS BORN TO HIGH-FAT-FED DAMS. POSTWEANING, LIVERS OF OFFSPRING EXPOSED TO MATERNAL HIGH-FAT FEEDING IN UTERO SHARE PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC FEATURES WITH HUMAN NAFLD, INCLUDING INCREASED DE NOVO LIPOGENESIS AND DECREASED FREE FATTY ACID OXIDATION. HUMAN STUDIES USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING HAVE SHOWN THAT MATERNAL BMI PREDICTS INFANT INTRAHEPATOCELLULAR LIPID STORAGE, AS SEEN IN ANIMAL MODELS. THE GENERATIONAL TRANSFER OF NAFLD MAY OCCUR VIA EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN OFFSPRING LIVER. TRANSMISSION OF MICROBIOTA FROM MOTHER TO INFANT MAY IMPACT ENERGY RETENTION AND IMMUNE FUNCTION THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A PREDISPOSITION TO NAFLD. 2014 13 37 43 A CHROMATIN REMODELING CHECKPOINT OF DIET-INDUCED MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION IN ADIPOSE TISSUE. THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE IMMUNE CELLS IS LINKED TO METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS UNDER PHYSIOLOGIC AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC CONDITIONS. DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE 2 (T2D) IS CONSIDERED AN IMMUNE-RELATED INFLAMMATORY DISORDER, IN WHICH THE ADIPOSE TISSUE MACROPHAGES (ATMS) ARE KEY PLAYERS ORCHESTRATING METABOLIC CHRONIC META-INFLAMMATION AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF METABOLIC DISEASE. HOWEVER, THE MOLECULAR REGULATORS THAT INTEGRATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNALS TO CONTROL ATM ACTIVATION AND ADIPOSE INFLAMMATION DURING OBESITY AND T2D REMAIN UNCLEAR. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS CONSTITUTE IMPORTANT PARAMETERS IN METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS, OBESITY AND T2D VIA THE INTEGRATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS TO THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF GENE PROGRAMS. IN A VERY RECENT STUDY PUBLISHED IN DIABETES BY KONG ET AL., BAF60A HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A KEY CHROMATIN REMODELING CHECKPOINT FACTOR THAT ASSOCIATES OBESITY-ASSOCIATED STRESS SIGNALS WITH META-INFLAMMATION AND SYSTEMIC HOMEOSTASIS. FURTHERMORE, THIS WORK UNCOVERS ATF3 AS AN IMPORTANT DOWNSTREAM EFFECTOR IN BAF60A-MEDIATED CHROMATIN REMODELING AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPROGRAMMING OF MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION IN ADIPOSE TISSUE. THE FINDINGS OF THIS RESEARCH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR OBESITY-INDUCED METABOLIC INFLAMMATION AND ASSOCIATED METABOLIC DISORDERS. 2022 14 1725 40 DYSREGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND GLUCOSE METABOLISM-RELATED GENES AND MIRNAS IN VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE OF WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. BACKGROUND HUMAN VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE (VAT), NOW IDENTIFIED AS AN ENDOCRINE ORGAN, PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN IMPAIRED FASTING GLUCOSE AND DIABETES THROUGH THE DEREGULATED METABOLISM AND ADIPOGENESIS OF VISCERAL ADIPOCYTES IN OBESITY. OUR STUDY FOCUSES ON EXPLORING THE LINK BETWEEN INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND GLUCOSE METABOLISM-ASSOCIATED GENES WITH CORRESPONDING MIRNAS IN HUMAN VISCERAL ADIPOCYTES AND VAT FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH GLUCOSE METABOLISM DISORDERS. MATERIAL AND METHODS WE EXAMINED THE EXPRESSION OF ATM, NFKB1, SOD2, INSR, AND TIGAR, ALONG WITH THEIR RELATED MIRNAS USING PCR, IN TWO CONTEXTS:1 - DURING THE THREE-STAGE VISCERAL ADIPOGENESIS UNDER NORMAL GLUCOSE LEVELS (5.5 MILLIMOLES), INTERMITTENT, AND CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA (30 MILLIMOLES).2 - IN VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE FROM SUBJECTS (34 F, 18 M) WITH NORMAL GLUCOSE METABOLISM, IMPAIRED FASTING GLUCOSE, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. RESULTS BOTH CHRONIC AND INTERMITTENT HYPERGLYCEMIA SIMILARLY INFLUENCED ATM, NFKB1, TIGAR, SOD2, INSR GENE EXPRESSION IN VISCERAL ADIPOCYTES, WITH CORRESPONDING CHANGES IN A FEW TESTED MIRNAS (EG, LET-7G-5P, MIR-145-5P, MIR-21-5P). ANTHROPOMETRIC AND BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS LED US TO FOCUS ON FEMALE SUBJECTS. OUR RESULTS SHOWED TRANSACTIVATION OF NFKB1, TIGAR, MIR-10B-5P, MIR-132-3P, MIR-20A-5P, MIR-21-5P, AND MIR-26A-5P EXCLUSIVELY IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. UPREGULATED MOLECULES (EXCLUDING MIR-10B-5P AND MIR-20A-5P) POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH GLUCOSE METABOLISM MARKERS. CONCLUSIONS THE GENES STUDIED MAY UNDERGO MIRNA INTERFERENCES AND HYPERGLYCEMIC MEMORY IN VISCERAL ADIPOCYTES UNDER HYPERGLYCEMIC CONDITIONS. VAT FROM WOMEN WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, BUT NOT WITH IMPAIRED FASTING GLUCOSE, SHOWED TRANSACTIVATED MIRNAS AND A MOLECULAR DYSREGULATION OF TIGAR AND NFKB1, POSSIBLY ENHANCING INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND DISRUPTED GLUCOSE METABOLISM. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE EPIGENETIC AND MOLECULAR DISTURBANCES IN VAT RELATED TO GLUCOSE METABOLISM ABNORMALITIES. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND THEIR BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE. 2023 15 3155 29 GLUTAMINE METABOLISM IN ADIPOCYTES: A BONA FIDE EPIGENETIC MODULATOR OF INFLAMMATION. A CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION OF WHITE ADIPOSE TISSUE (WAT) IS ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF OBESITY AND IS PROPOSED TO CONTRIBUTE TO INSULIN RESISTANCE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. DESPITE THIS, THE CAUSAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING WAT INFLAMMATION REMAIN UNCLEAR. BASED ON METABOLOMIC ANALYSES OF HUMAN WAT, PETRUS ET AL. SHOWED THAT THE AMINO ACID GLUTAMINE WAS THE MOST MARKEDLY REDUCED POLAR METABOLITE IN THE OBESE STATE. REDUCED GLUTAMINE LEVELS IN ADIPOCYTES INDUCE AN INCREASE OF URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE N-ACETYLGLUCOSAMINE (UDP-GLCNAC) LEVELS VIA INDUCTION OF GLYCOLYSIS AND THE HEXOSAMINE BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAYS. THIS PROMOTES NUCLEAR O-GLCNACYLATION, A POSTTRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION THAT ACTIVATES THE TRANSCRIPTION OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY GENES. CONVERSELY, GLUTAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION IN VITRO AND IN VIVO, REVERSED THESE EFFECTS. ALTOGETHER, DYSREGULATION OF INTRACELLULAR GLUTAMINE METABOLISM IN WAT ESTABLISHES AN EPIGENETIC LINK BETWEEN ADIPOCYTES AND INFLAMMATION. THIS COMMENTARY DISCUSSES THESE FINDINGS AND THEIR POSSIBLY THERAPEUTIC RELEVANCE IN RELATION TO INSULIN RESISTANCE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2020 16 1558 40 DNA METHYLATION MODULATES AGING PROCESS IN ADIPOCYTES. AGING HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED TO BE A HIGHLY COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL HEALTH PROBLEM WITH A HIGH RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING TYPE 2 DIABETES, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CHRONIC BRONCHITIS OR EMPHYSEMA, CANCER AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. PARTICULARLY, AGE-RELATED TURNOVER IN ADIPOSE TISSUE IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO METABOLIC SYNDROMES AND SHORTENED LIFESPAN. ADIPOCYTES UNDERGO SENESCENCE IN EARLY STAGE, WHICH RESULTS IN ADIPOSE TISSUE METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION, REDISTRIBUTION, AND INFLAMMATION. THE WELL-ESTABLISHED ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DNA METHYLATION (DNAM) AND AGING HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN THE PAST FEW DECADES. INDEED, AGE-RELATED ALTERATION IN DNAM IS HIGHLY TISSUE-SPECIFIC. THIS REVIEW INTENDS TO SUMMARIZE THE ADVANCEMENTS HOW DNAM CHANGES COUPLED WITH AGING PROCESS IN ADIPOSE TISSUE, BY WHICH DNAM REGULATES CELLULAR SENESCENCE, METABOLIC FUNCTION, ADIPOKINE SECRETION AND BEIGING PROCESS IN ADIPOCYTES. ELUCIDATION OF THE EFFECT OF DNAM ON ADIPOSE AGING WOULD HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EPIGENETIC THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES AGAINST AGING-RELATED DISEASES IN CLINICAL SETTINGS. 2022 17 5584 33 ROLE OF OBESITY IN FEMALE REPRODUCTION. CONTEMPORARY SCIENTISTS NEED NO "P VALUE" AND "RELATIVE RISK" STATISTICS TO BE EXQUISITELY AWARE OF THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AND COMPLICATIONS POSED BY OBESITY. IT IS NOW WELL RECOGNIZED THAT OBESITY IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, VASCULAR DISEASE, TUMORS AND REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS. OBESE WOMEN SHOW LOWER LEVELS OF GONADOTROPIN HORMONES, REDUCED FECUNDITY, HIGHER MISCARRIAGE RATES AND POORER OUTCOMES OF IN VITRO FERTILIZATION, REVEALING THAT OBESITY AFFECTS FEMALE REPRODUCTION. IN ADDITION, ADIPOSE TISSUE CONTAINS SPECIAL IMMUNE CELLS AND OBESITY-INDUCED INFLAMMATION IS A CHRONIC, LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. HEREIN, WE MAINLY REVIEW DETRIMENTAL INFLUENCES OF OBESITY IN THE COMPLETE PROCESS OF FEMALE REPRODUCTION, INCLUDING HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-OVARIAN AXIS, OOCYTE MATURATION, EMBRYO AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT. IN THE LATTER PART, WE VIEW OBESITY-INDUCED INFLAMMATION AND DISCUSS RELATED EPIGENETIC IMPACT ON FEMALE REPRODUCTION. 2023 18 701 24 BROWN FAT DNMT3B DEFICIENCY AMELIORATES OBESITY IN FEMALE MICE. OBESITY RESULTS FROM A CHRONIC ENERGY IMBALANCE DUE TO ENERGY INTAKE EXCEEDING ENERGY EXPENDITURE. ACTIVATION OF BROWN FAT THERMOGENESIS HAS BEEN SHOWN TO COMBAT OBESITY. EPIGENETIC REGULATION, INCLUDING DNA METHYLATION, HAS EMERGED AS A KEY REGULATOR OF BROWN FAT THERMOGENIC FUNCTION. HERE WE AIMED TO STUDY THE ROLE OF DNMT3B, A DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE INVOLVED IN DE NOVO DNA METHYLATION, IN THE REGULATION OF BROWN FAT THERMOGENESIS AND OBESITY. WE FOUND THAT THE SPECIFIC DELETION OF DNMT3B IN BROWN FAT PROMOTES THE THERMOGENIC AND MITOCHONDRIAL PROGRAM IN BROWN FAT, ENHANCES ENERGY EXPENDITURE, AND DECREASES ADIPOSITY IN FEMALE MICE FED A REGULAR CHOW DIET. WITH A LEAN PHENOTYPE, THE FEMALE KNOCKOUT MICE ALSO EXHIBIT INCREASED INSULIN SENSITIVITY. IN ADDITION, DNMT3B DEFICIENCY IN BROWN FAT ALSO PREVENTS DIET-INDUCED OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN FEMALE MICE. INTERESTINGLY, OUR RNA-SEQ ANALYSIS REVEALED AN UPREGULATION OF THE PI3K-AKT PATHWAY IN THE BROWN FAT OF FEMALE DNMT3B KNOCKOUT MICE. HOWEVER, MALE DNMT3B KNOCKOUT MICE HAVE NO CHANGE IN THEIR BODY WEIGHT, SUGGESTING THE EXISTENCE OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE BROWN FAT DNMT3B KNOCKOUT MODEL. OUR DATA DEMONSTRATE THAT DNMT3B PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE REGULATION OF BROWN FAT FUNCTION, ENERGY METABOLISM AND OBESITY IN FEMALE MICE. 2021 19 4271 33 MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS-INDUCED OBESITY: ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN HOMOEOSTASIS OF ENERGY METABOLISM. THE GLOBAL OBESITY EPIDEMIC HAS NECESSITATED THE SEARCH FOR BETTER INTERVENTION STRATEGIES INCLUDING THE EXPLOITATION OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOME GUT MICROBIOTA AND THEIR METABOLIC PRODUCTS. THEREFORE, WE EXAMINED THE GUT MICROBIAL COMPOSITION AND MECHANISMS OF INTERACTION WITH THE HOST IN RELATION TO HOMOEOSTATIC ENERGY METABOLISM AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DYSBIOSIS-INDUCED METABOLIC INFLAMMATION AND OBESITY. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE EUBIOTIC, HEALTH-PROMOTING EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH GUT MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS AND RISK OF OBESITY. HIGH-FAT/CARBOHYDRATE DIET PROGRAMMES THE GUT MICROBIOTA TO ONE PREDOMINATED BY FIRMICUTES (CLOSTRIDIUM), PREVOTELLA AND METHANOBREVIBACTER BUT DEFICIENT IN BENEFICIAL GENERA/SPECIES SUCH AS BACTEROIDES, BIFIDOBACTERIUM, LACTOBACILLUS AND AKKERMANSIA. ALTERED GUT MICROBIOTA IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED EXPRESSION OF SCFA THAT MAINTAIN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL BARRIER INTEGRITY, REDUCE BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION AND INFLAMMATION AND INCREASE EXPRESSION OF HUNGER-SUPPRESSING HORMONES. REDUCED AMOUNTS OF BENEFICIAL MICRO-ORGANISMS ALSO INHIBIT FASTING-INDUCED ADIPOCYTE FACTOR EXPRESSION LEADING TO DYSLIPIDAEMIA. A LOW-GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION (METABOLIC ENDOTOXAEMIA) ENSUES WHICH CULMINATES IN OBESITY AND ITS CO-MORBIDITIES. THE SYNERGY OF HIGH-FAT DIET AND DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOTA INITIATES A RECIPE THAT EPIGENETICALLY PROGRAMMES THE HOST FOR INCREASED ADIPOSITY AND POOR GLYCAEMIC CONTROL. INTERESTINGLY, THESE OBESOGENIC MECHANISTIC PATHWAYS THAT ARE TRANSMITTABLE FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER CAN BE MODULATED THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS AND SYNBIOTICS. THOUGH THE INFLUENCE OF GUT MICROBIOTA ON THE RISK OF OBESITY AND SEVERAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY DEMONSTRATED IN ANIMAL MODELS, APPLICATION IN HUMANS STILL REQUIRES FURTHER ROBUST INVESTIGATION. 2020 20 992 34 CHRONIC STRESS AND ADIPOSE TISSUE IN THE ANOREXIC STATE: ENDOCRINE AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. ALTHOUGH ADIPOSE TISSUE METABOLISM IN OBESITY HAS BEEN WIDELY STUDIED, THERE IS LIMITED RESEARCH ON THE ANOREXIC STATE, WHERE THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM IS DISRUPTED BY REDUCED ADIPOSE TISSUE MASS AND THERE ARE DEPOT-SPECIFIC CHANGES IN ADIPOCYTE TYPE AND FUNCTION. STRESS EXPOSURE AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE CAN ALTER THE BALANCE BETWEEN ENERGY INTAKE AND EXPENDITURE AND THEREBY CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA. THIS REVIEW INTEGRATES INFORMATION FROM HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS TO DESCRIBE ENDOCRINE, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ASPECTS OF ADIPOSE TISSUE PHYSIOLOGY IN THE ANOREXIC CONDITION. CHANGES IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-THYROID, -ADRENAL, AND -GONADAL AXES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO APPETITE REGULATION AND ADIPOCYTE FUNCTION ARE DISCUSSED. BECAUSE OF THE ROLE OF STRESS IN TRIGGERING OR MAGNIFYING ANOREXIA, AND THE DYNAMIC BUT ALSO PERSISTENT NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-INDUCED EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, EPIGENETICS IS LIKELY THE LINK BETWEEN STRESS AND LONG-TERM CHANGES IN THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM THAT DISRUPT HOMOEOSTATIC FOOD INTAKE AND ADIPOSE TISSUE METABOLISM. HEREIN, WE FOCUS ON THE ADIPOCYTE AND CHANGES IN ITS FUNCTION, INCLUDING ALTERATIONS REINFORCED BY ENDOCRINE DISTURBANCE AND DYSFUNCTIONAL ADIPOKINE REGULATION. THIS INFORMATION IS CRITICAL BECAUSE OF THE POOR UNDERSTANDING OF ANOREXIC PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, DUE TO THE LACK OF SUITABLE RESEARCH MODELS, AND THE COMPLEXITY OF GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS. 2020