Adipose Tissue-Central Nervous System Axis in Obesity: Molecular Mechanisms, Inflammation, and Nutritional and Technological Implications
Abstract
Obesity is a multifactorial condition characterized by profound metabolic and inflammatory dysregulation that alters the adipose tissue-central nervous system (CNS) relationship. This paper critically summarizes the biochemical and cellular mechanisms governing this bidirectional crosstalk, moving beyond a descriptive perspective to propose an integrated model of peripheral-central interaction. White adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), modulated by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), communicate with hypothalamic circuits (POMC and AgRP neurons) both through traditional endocrine signals (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, apelin) and through lipid mediators and extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Under conditions of nutritional excess, the accumulation of lipotoxic lipid species (such as palmitate and ceramides) and the inflammatory polarization of brain macrophages (M1/BAMs) induce mitochondrial stress and central resistance to leptin and insulin, altering the adiposity set point. In parallel, we review emerging nutritional strategies based on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), polyphenols, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and critically evaluate innovative technological platforms (nanoencapsulation, precision fermentation, and 3D food printing) designed to optimize nutrient bioaccessibility and restore adipose-CNS axis homeostasis, discussing current challenges for clinical translation.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Promising Sources of Plant-Derived Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review
- Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in patients with chronic kidney disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cognition: an updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials
- The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review
- Paucity of evidence for a relationship between long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review
- Omega-3 fatty acid nanocarriers: Characterization and potential applications
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.