Editorial: Brown and beige adipocytes: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic potentials

Brown and beige adipocytes are key regulators of systemic energy balance and metabolic homeostasis through their capacity for adaptive thermogenesis and metabolic remodeling (1). In contrast to energy-storing white adipocytes, brown and beige adipocytes dissipate energy as heat and contribute to whole-body energy expenditure. Impairment of thermogenic adipocyte function has been increasingly linked to obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and related cardiometabolic disorders (2). Beyond thermogenesis, these cells exhibit remarkable plasticity, The documented dose regimen and clear diet-dependent divergence in adipose and hepatic responses underscored the complex interplay between environmental toxicants, nutritional status, and adipose tissue function. Notably, BPAF exposure was associated with reduced resting body temperature and suppression of thermogenic regulators in brown adipose tissue, indicative of impaired thermogenic capacity and a shift in the balance between energy storage and expenditure that may have amplified obesogenic risk. Against the backdrop of widespread human exposure to bisphenol analogs, these findings raised important public health concerns and positioned endocrine-disrupting chemicals as salient modifiers of adipose tissue biology and systemic metabolic homeostasis.These five studies delineated thermogenic adipocytes as a highly dynamic metabolic cell population whose identity and function are continuously shaped by external stimuli and local tissue context. Rather than acting as isolated heat-producing units, thermogenic adipocytes function as integrative hubs that translate environmental cues, immune signals, and intracellular regulatory programs into adaptive or maladaptive metabolic outcomes (4). Together, this body of work emphasized that thermogenic capacity represents a reversible cellular state, maintained through coordinated regulation across signaling, transcriptional, and epigenetic layers.A central theme emerging from these studies is that thermogenic regulation is inherently multicellular and context dependent. Crosstalk between adipocytes and immune, stromal, and neural components within the adipose niche influences browning efficiency and the sustainability of thermogenic programs, while intrinsic regulators such as microRNAs and metabolic checkpoints modulate cellular responsiveness (5). Together, these observations highlighted thermogenic adipocyte function as an emergent property of coordinated intercellular interactions and cellintrinsic regulatory networks within adipose tissue.Overall, this collection reframes thermogenic adipocytes as context-sensitive regulators of metabolic homeostasis rather than static energy-dissipating cells. By elucidating how thermogenic programs are shaped by environmental inputs, intercellular interactions, and intrinsic regulatory circuits, this Research Topic advances a more integrated understanding of adipose tissue plasticity with clear relevance to metabolic disease.