Brown fat cells are much easier for the body to burn than regular white lipocytes. Obese people with a particularly high ratio of white to brown fat cells can have a hard time losing weight even when while dieting and exercising. Nanotechnology may soon help people turn white fat into brown fat, turning a daunting challenge into a much more manageable one. Researchers at Purdue University have now created a nanoparticle that seeks out progenitor fat cells and delivers a drug to make sure they turn into brown fat cells.
The image illustrates inductive browning of inguinal white adipose tissue (H&E staining shown in the background) by dibenzazepine-loaded nanoparticles (five particles shown in the front).
The nanoparticle is made of a commonly used biocompatible polymer, PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)), and is packed with dibenzazepine, the drug that interferes with a cellular signaling pathway that helps fat cells decide what type they’re going to be. Progenitor cells turn white when this so-called Notch signaling is active, while they turn brown when it’s dormant.
The team injected these cells into the inguinal white adipose tissue ares within obese mice and saw nearby cells turn brown where they would normally turn white. Moreover, the treated mice had improved glucose levels and reduced body weight compared to control animals. Perhaps one day this option will be available to clinicians working on the frontlines of the now global obesity epidemic.