Overview of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in adipose tissues and their regulatory roles in the pathophysiology of human diseases

Abstract

Despite the advancement of allopathic medicine, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are investigated as ideal drug targets for a range of chronic diseases including cancers, obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegeneration. During the past decades, scientists have been directly focused on the deep understanding of GPCR signaling pathways involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis and glucose metabolism which can hopefully direct towards the synthesis of novel drug compounds. Regulation of energy homeostasis is always aligned with the GPCRs associated with adipose tissues in which obesity is identified as one of the major diseases. However, evidence has not been provided on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved therapeutics for obesity that can directly affect the metabolism of adipose tissues yet. With the aid of these findings related to adipose tissue biology, further expansion and metabolic activation of white adipose tissues, brown adipose tissues, and beige adipose tissues will be potential target therapy for a variety of human diseases in the future. Therefore, the present review primarily focuses on the GPCRs present in adipose tissues and their regulatory roles in the pathophysiology of human diseases.