ADIPOSE TISSUE

By: Dr. Arnold B. Fonollera

ADIPOSE/FAT TISSUE
 In histology, adipose tissue or fat is
loose connective tissue composed
of adipocytes.
 Adipose tissue is derived from
lipoblasts.
 Its main role is to store energy in
the form of fat, although it also
cushions and insulates the body.

Types of Adipose Tissue

 white adipose tissue (WAT)

 brown adipose tissue (BAT).

 White Adipose
 White adipose tissue (WAT) or
white fat is one of the two types of
adipose tissue found in mammals.
 In humans, white adipose tissue
composes as much as 20% of the
body weight in men and 25% of the
body weight in women.
 Its cells contain a single large fat
droplet, which has forced the
nucleus to be squeezed into a thin
rim at the periphery described as
“unilocular fat”
 They have receptors for: - Insulin -
Growth hormones - Norepinephrine
- glucocorticoids
Brown Adipose

 Brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown fat is one of the two

types of adipose tissue (the other being white adipose tissue)
that is present in many newborn or hibernating mammals. Its
primary purpose is to generate body heat. In contrast to white
adipocytes (fat cells), which contain a single lipid droplet,
brown adipocytes contain numerous smaller droplets
(multilocular fat) and a much higher number of mitochondria.
Brown fat also contains more capillaries than white fat, since it
has a greater need for oxygen than most tissues.)
THE FATE OF FAT
LIPOGENESIS/
ADIPOGENESIS

 Lipogenesis is the process by which glucose is converted

to fatty acids, which are subsequently esterified to
glycerol to form the triacylglycerols that are packaged in
VLDL and secreted from the liver.
 Lipogenesis encompasses the processes of fatty acid
synthesis and subsequent triglyceride synthesis.
 Lipogenesis starts with acetyl-CoA and builds up by the
addition of two carbons units. The synthesis occurs in the
cytoplasm in contrast to the degradation (oxidation)
which occurs in the mitochondria. Many of the enzymes
for the fatty acid synthesis are organized into a
multienzyme complex called fatty acid synthetase .
LIPOGENESIS
 Storing Excess Food

 Food that is eaten and absorbed but is not used immediately

for cellular growth or metabolism is stored. Excess
carbohydrate is converted into the polymer glycogen (similar
to starch in plants) and is stored in the liver and in the
muscles. Amino acids, from broken down ingested proteins,
are usually recycled into new polypeptides inside cells, but
excess amino acids can be made into carbohydrate or fatty
acids.

Once the limited storage capacity of cells, the liver and the
muscles is exceeded, however, all energy containing molecules
that are not needed immediately are transported around the
body and stored in adipose tissue just under the skin.
 Fatty acids
 Free fatty acids are either taken in from the digestive system
directly, or are made in the liver. If the diet is rich in triglycerides
(from a fatty meal), these are transported in the form of
chylomicrons (from the gut) or lipoproteins (from the liver) to
regions near the adipose tissue. An enzyme, lipoproteinlipase
(LPL), is secreted by the adipocytes into the fluid surrounding each
cell where it breaks down the triglycerides into free fatty acids
and glycerol.

The fatty acids are then transported across the adipocyte

membrane into the cytoplasm of the cell. Here they are combined
with a molecule called coenzyme A to form a thioester and then
sequentially joined to a second and a third fatty acid to form
mono-, di- and triglycerides. The final products are placed for
longer-term storage into a large, central lipid vacuole.
 Glycerol Most of the glycerol used in the making of
glycerides comes from glucose - also absorbed by the
cells. Inside the cell the glucose is converted to glycerol
phosphate before being joined to the first fatty acid.
 CHYLOMICRONS
Chylomicrons are large
lipoprotein particles that
transport dietary lipids from
the intestines to other
locations in the body.
Chylomicrons transport
exogenous lipids to liver,
adipose, cardiac and skeletal
muscle tissue where their
triglyceride components are
unloaded by the activity of
lipoprotein lipase.
Consequently chylomicron
remnants are left over which
are taken up by the liver.
 Triglycerides

 lipids composed of two types of macromolecules:

fatty acids and glycerol.
 Triglycerides are the major form of fat stored in
the adipocytes of your body.
 three fatty acids and glycerol combine to form a
triglyceride
 the fatty acids can be saturated or unsaturated
Lipoproteins
 Apolipoproteins
 Apolipoprotein B (APOB) is the primary apolipoprotein of
low density lipoproteins (LDL or "bad cholesterol"), which is
responsible for carrying cholesterol to tissues. What is clear
is that the APOB on the LDL particle acts as a ligand for LDL
receptors in various cells throughout the body (i.e. less
formally, APOB "unlocks" the doors to cells and thereby
delivers cholesterol to them).
 Through a mechanism that is not fully understood, high levels
of APOB can lead to plaques that cause heart disease
(atherosclerosis). There is considerable evidence that levels of
APOB are a better indicator of heart disease risk than total
cholesterol or LDL. However, primarily for practical reasons,
cholesterol, and more specifically, LDL-cholesterol, remains
the primary lipid target and risk factor for atherosclerosis.
 Lipoproteins
 Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a lipoprotein
that transports cholesterol and triglycerides from
the liver to peripheral tissues.
 LDL also regulates cholesterol synthesis at these
sites. It commonly appears in the medical setting
as part of a cholesterol blood test, and since high
levels of LDL cholesterol can signal medical
problems like cardiovascular disease, it is
sometimes called "bad cholesterol" (as opposed
to HDL, the "good cholesterol").
 Lipoproteins
 High-density lipoproteins (HDL) form a class of lipoproteins,
varying somewhat in their size (8–11 nm in diameter), that
carry fatty acids and cholesterol from the body's tissues to the
liver. About thirty percent of blood cholesterol is carried by
HDL.
 It is hypothesized that HDL can remove cholesterol from
atheroma within arteries and transport it back to the liver for
excretion or re-utilization—which is the main reason why
HDL-bound cholesterol is sometimes called "good
cholesterol", or HDL-C. A high level of HDL-C seems to
protect against cardiovascular diseases, and low HDL
cholesterol levels (less than 40 mg/dL) increase the risk for
heart disease. When measuring cholesterol, any contained in
HDL particles is considered as protection to the body's
cardiovascular health, in contrast to "bad" LDL cholesterol.
 Liposuction
 Liposuction, also known as
lipoplasty ("fat modeling"),
liposculpture or suction
lipectomy ("suction-assisted fat
removal") is a cosmetic surgery
operation that removes fat from
many different sites on the
human body. Areas affected can
range from the abdomen, thighs,
buttocks, to the neck, backs of
the arms and elsewhere.
 Lipectomy
 Lipectomy is a surgical technique that is
used to cut and remove unwanted fat
deposits from specific areas of the body.
These areas include: chin, neck, cheeks,
upper arms, above the breasts,
abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees,
calves and ankles. It is not a substitute
for weight reduction, but is a method of
removing localized fat that does not
respond to dieting and exercise. A
lipectomy is done for cosmetic reasons
or to treat functional impairment.
 Functional impairment can be defined as
having extensive redundancy of skin and
fat folds in varied anatomic locations
causing functional problems. This can
result from losing or gaining massive
amounts of weight. These areas include
medial upper arms, breasts (male and
female), the abdomen and medial thighs.
An abdominal fold hanging below the
pubis would be one example of
functional impairment and the surgical
treatment of this condition would be
spoken of as an abdominoplasty.
 Liposuction is not a low-effort alternative to exercise and
diet. It is a form of body contouring with significant
attendant risks[1] and is not a weight loss method. The
amount of fat removed varies by doctor, method, and
patient, but is typically less than 10 pounds (5 kg).
 There are several factors that limit the amount of fat that
can be safely removed in one session. Ultimately, the
operating physician and the patient make the decision.
There are negative aspects to removing too much fat.
Unusual "lumpiness" and/or "dents" in the skin can be
seen in those patients "over-suctioned". The more fat
removed the higher the surgical risk.
Insulin-resistant diabetes
 Acanthosis nigricans
Thank you for your time and indulgence.
 Now it’s your turn to study again!