Stimulation of Thermogenesis via Beta-Adrenergic and Thyroid Hormone Receptors Agonists in obesity Treatment – Possible Reasons for Therapy Resistance

The worldwide epidemic of obesity and the limited effectiveness of the available treatments led to a renewed interest in developing therapeutic approaches which would reduce obesity by increasing energy expenditure. Knowledge of the mechanism involved in the regulation of thermogenesis in mammals has led to the belief that compounds activating adrenergic receptors beta and/or thyroid hormone receptors may be effective in obesity treatment. However, the translation of the results obtained in the in vitro and in animal studies on humans occurred to be not as direct and effective as expected. This mini-review discusses the potential role of thermogenesis impairment in development of human obesity as well as possible limitations in the application of thermogenic compounds in obesity treatment.