Advances in Adipose Tissue Biology: From Biological Characteristics to Therapeutic Targets

Dear Colleagues, 

Obesity is a growing worldwide epidemic and occurs with co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Adipose tissue, which serves as not only a passive fuel reservoir, but also an endocrine organ and a heat-producing thermoeffector, plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis at both the organ and system levels. Therefore, pathological expansion of adipose tissue and adipose tissue dysfunction are well implicated in various metabolic disorders associated with obesity. Adipose tissue is highly heterogeneous and contains numerous types of non-adipocytes including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells and a variety of immune cells in addition to adipocytes. Notably, obesity causes inflammation and fibrosis in the adipose tissue, which has been linked to insulin resistance and diabetes. Therefore, understanding adipocyte and adipose tissue pathophysiology is critical for the development of therapeutic approaches to treat obesity and its related diseases. Although substantial research advances have led to new insights into the contributions of adipose tissue to normal physiology and metabolic disorders, there are many unanswered questions regarding the development, function and plasticity of adipose tissue and their disease context.

This Special Issue aims to serve as a platform whereby researchers can share their novel findings and perspectives on “Advances in Adipose Tissue Biology: From Biological Characteristics to Therapeutic Targets”, thus paving the way for future developments in the field. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles as well as up-to-date reviews.

Dr. Meilian Liu
Dr. Weiqin Chen
Guest Editors

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