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The metabolic and functional roles of sensory nerves in adipose tissues

Nature Metabolism volume 5, pages 1461–1474 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Homeostatic regulation of adipose tissue is critical for the maintenance of energy balance and whole-body metabolism. The peripheral nervous system provides bidirectional neural communication between the brain and adipose tissue, thereby providing homeostatic control. Most research on adipose innervation and nerve functions has been limited to the sympathetic nerves and their neurotransmitter norepinephrine. In recent years, more work has focused on adipose sensory nerves, but the contributions of subsets of sensory nerves to metabolism and the specific roles contributed by sensory neuropeptides are still understudied. Advances in imaging of adipose innervation and newer tissue denervation techniques have confirmed that sensory nerves contribute to the regulation of adipose functions, including lipolysis and browning. Here, we summarize the historical and latest findings on the regulation, function and plasticity of adipose tissue sensory nerves that contribute to metabolically important processes such as lipolysis, vascular control and sympathetic axis cross-talk.

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Fig. 1: Overview of adipose tissue innervation by sensory and sympathetic nerves and associated release of nerve products (neuropeptides and neurotransmitters).
Fig. 2: Anatomical distribution of sensory afferent cell bodies across levels of the DRG in rodents (Siberian hamster, mouse and rat) and corresponding peripheral tissue and organ sensory innervation projections.
Fig. 3: Commonly adopted methods to study adipose innervation in rodents, including adipose denervation techniques.
Fig. 4: Evidence for positive or negative feedback loops between sensory and sympathetic nerves in adipose tissue.

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Acknowledgements

K.L.T. was supported by start-up funding from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, as well as NIH grant R01DH114320, a NIDDK Diabetic Complications Consortium (DIACOMP) award EEIR:SCR_001415 and a W.M. Keck Foundation award. We thank J. W. Willows for critical reading of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Gargi Mishra & Kristy L. Townsend

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  1. Gargi Mishra
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  2. Kristy L. Townsend
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G.M. and K.L.T. contributed equally to the writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kristy L. Townsend.

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Mishra, G., Townsend, K.L. The metabolic and functional roles of sensory nerves in adipose tissues. Nat Metab 5, 1461–1474 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00868-x

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