Adipose Connective Tissue Function

Brown adipose tissue, also known as brown fat, is a type of fat found in humans. This specialized type of fat burns calories (energy) and dissipates heat by non-shivering thermogenesis, which helps maintain body temperature in cold environments. It can also act as a reserve to provide energy when food supply is low or environmental temperatures are low. Brown adipose tissue is unique because it develops very little blood flow; therefore, its location near muscle groups may allow fatty acids from triglycerides stored in adipocytes to be delivered directly into muscle cells for use as energy . Fatty acids that accumulate in skeletal muscle reduce glucose uptake.

Adipose tissue is a specialized connective tissue consisting of lipid-rich cells called adipocytes. As it comprises about 20-25% of total body weight in healthy individuals, the main function of adipose tissue is to store energy in the form of lipids (fat). Based on its location, fat tissue is divided into parietal (under the skin) and visceral (surrounding organs). Depending on adipocyte morphology, there are two types of adipose tissue:

• White adipose tissue - mainly found in adults
• Brown adipose tissue - mainly found in newborns 

Besides energy storing, fat tissue has several other important functions in the human body. These include thermal isolation, cushioning the organs, an endocrine role, and production of numerous bioactive factors. 

Adipose tissue

Key facts about adipose tissue

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Definition	A type of specialized connective tissue whose main functions are to store the energy, protect the organs and contribute to the endocrine profile of the body
Types	Depending on location; parietal fat and visceral fat Depending on structure; white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue
Structure	Adipocytes (white, brown and beige) Thin extracellular matrix consisting of reticular fibers
Function	Energy storing, hormone production, thermal isolation (white adipose tissue); thermogenesis (brown adipose tissue)
Clinical relations	Obesity, lipodystrophy

Function

The most important role of white adipocytes is energy storage. They store fat in the form of triglycerides inside their cytoplasmic lipid droplets, which helps to maintain free fatty acid levels in the blood. 

For a long time, adipose tissue has been considered only as a passive fuel reservoir. Now, it is also considered to be an endocrine organ which secretes several bioactive factors (hormones, growth factors, cytokines). The most important adipose tissue hormones include leptin (satiety factor) and adiponectin. These biofactors circulate through the organism and carry information to other metabolically active organs such as liver, pancreas, muscle, and brain. These factors are of key importance in the pathophysiology of many metabolic disorders (e.g. type 2 diabetes mellitus). 

Different localizations of the adipose tissue have different roles in the human body. For example, abdominal fat has a different metabolic profile than the rest of the fat in the body, and it has the biggest influence in inducing insulin resistance. Parietal fat has an important role in thermoregulation, while visceral fat provides the cushion-like support for internal organs, protecting them from mechanical injuries. During reduced caloric intake, the amount of parietal adipose tissue decreases, while the visceral fat remains undiminished.

In contrast to white, brown adipose tissue transforms chemical energy into heat. That way it prevents obesity, other metabolic disorders, and hypothermia.

Also See: What is Brown Adipose Tissue? What Is It, Location, Function, and More

Brown adipose tissue

In contrast to white adipocytes, brown adipocytes have the appearance of a sponge due to the multiple droplets in the cytoplasm. Groups of adipocytes are divided into lobules by connective septa, which contain a substantial amount of blood vessels and unmyelinated nerve fibers. The extracellular matrix between individual cells within the lobules is sparse.

Brown adipose tissue is usually located in the body of the newborns, and it makes about 5% of their body mass. Newborns have much less subcutaneous fat than adults, which is why they are predisposed for hypothermia. To prevent lethal hypothermia, newborns have a large amount of brown adipose tissue, which has a great capacity for thermogenesis. With age, the amount of brown adipose tissue decreases, but it remains widely distributed throughout the body until puberty. Finally, in adults, the brown fat disappears from most sites. It remains in some regions only, such as; retroperitoneal space, around major vessels, deep cervical and supraclavicular regions of the neck, interscapular, paravertebral regions of the back and mediastinum.

Brown fat vs. white fat: Histological features

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White fat	Cell morphology: Large unilocular lipid droplet pushing the organelles to the periphery of the cell Location: Hypodermis, bone marrow Appearance: A net of white polygonal structures
Brown fat	Cell morphology: Centrally positioned nucleus surrounded by multiple lipid droplets on the periphery of the cell Location: Retroperitoneum, deep cervical and supraclavicular regions of the neck, interscapular, paravertebral regions of the back and mediastinum Appearance: A net of cells filled with numerous empty vacuoles.

Weight Loss: Natural way (Electrolytes) to replace white fat into Brown Adipose Tissue

Related: How To Increase Brown Adipose Tissue

White adipose tissue

The adipocytes in white adipose tissue are organized into lobules by connective tissue septa. The septa contain collagen fibers, nerve endings, blood and lymph capillaries. Extracellular matrix of white adipose tissue is made of reticular fibers and contains non-residential cells of adipose tissue (e.g. inflammatory cells).

On a histology slide, the adipocytes appear empty with a thin rim of cytoplasm close to the basal lamina. This is described as "signet ring" appearance of the unilocular tissue. This is because the intracellular fat droplet gets dissolved when dyed with standard histology staining methods (H&E staining). 

White adipose tissue is the predominant type in adult humans. The greatest portion of this tissue is located in the hypodermis of the skin. This layer of subcutaneous fat is also known as panniculus adiposus. The thickness of this layer depends mainly on localization and gender. For example, women have more unilocular adipose tissue in the thigh and breast regions. In comparison, men have more abdominal fat. White adipose tissue can be found in other parts of the human body such as the retroperitoneal space, greater omentum, mesentery and surrounding the organs (for example kidney, heart, eyeballs). It’s also present in the bone marrow and other tissues where it usually fills in the spaces between the cells.  

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