Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate diet-induced obesity by activating thermogenesis and alleviating inflammation in adipose tissue.

Obesity and its related metabolic disorders seriously threaten our health and significantly reduce our life expectancy. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice. The results demonstrated that BMSCs significantly reduced body weight, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in obese mice. Further analysis showed that BMSCs could promote brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity and white adipose tissue (WAT) browning by increasing the expression of mitochondrial uncouple protein 1 (UCP1). Additionally, BMSCs markedly increase mitochondrial biogenesis, activate oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in adipose tissue, further contributing to energy metabolism regulation. Moreover, BMSCs were effective in inhibiting macrophage-related inflammation in adipose tissue, thereby mitigating obesity-associated inflammatory responses. Overall, our results lay the foundation for research on the potential of BMSCs as a promising strategy in alleviating obesity and related metabolic diseases.