1. Investigación

The incidence of obesity and its related disorders has increased dramatically in recent years and has become a pandemic. Adipose tissue is a crucial regulator of these diseases due to its endocrine capacity. Thus, understanding adipose tissue metabolism is essential to finding new effective therapeutic approaches. The “omic” revolution has identified new concepts about the complexity of the signaling pathways involved in the pathophysiology of adipose tissue-associated disorders. Specifically, advances in transcriptomics have allowed its application in clinical practice and primary or secondary prevention. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of adipose tissue since they can modulate gene expression at the epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional levels. They interact with DNA, RNA, protein complexes, other noncoding RNAs, and microRNAs to regulate a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. Here, we review the emerging field of lncRNAs, including how they regulate adipose tissue biology, and discuss circulating lncRNAs, which may represent a turning point in the diagnosis and treatment of adipose tissue-associated disorders. We also highlight potential biomarkers of obesity and diabetes that could be considered as therapeutic targets.

Objective: To test whether enhancing the capability of adipose tissue to store lipids using antioxidant supplementation may prevent the lipotoxic effects and improve the metabolic profile of long-term obesity. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were randomized into three experimental groups for 28 weeks: control group (n510) fed chow diet (10% kcal from fat), obese group (O, n512) fed high-fat (HF) diet (45% kcal from fat), and obese group fed HF diet and supplemented twice a week with 150 mg of a-tocopherol (vitamin E) by oral gavage (OE, n512). Results: HF diet resulted in an obese phenotype with a marked insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis in O mice. Histological analysis of obese visceral adipose tissue (VAT) revealed smaller adipocytes surrounded by a fibrotic extracellular matrix and an increased macrophage infiltration, with the consequent release of proinflammatory cytokines. Vitamin E supplementation decreased oxidative stress and reduced collagen deposition in the VAT of OE mice, allowing a further expansion of the adipocytes and increasing the storage capability. As a result, circulating cytokines were reduced and hepatic steasosis, hypertriglyceridemia, and insulin sensitivity were improved. Conclusions: Our results suggest that oxidative stress is implicated in extracellular matrix remodeling and may play an important role in metabolic regulation.