AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Obesity represents a worldwide epidemic and is associated with several metabolic disturbances such as type 2 diabetes, constituting a threat for human health. There is a need to decorticate the underlying mechanisms of these metabolic disturbances to develop new therapeutic strategies. Several systems and organs are involved in the onset of obesity. Among those, adipose tissue, endocannabinoid system (ECS) and gut microbiota are closely intertwined and we hypothesize that the crosstalk between them is a major determinant of obesity. This thesis confirms the crucial role of ECS, gut microbiota and adipose tissue metabolism in the context of obesity and puts forward interactions between these three players. This work highlights ECS as a main regulator of energy balance, unravels a new physiological mechanism involved in the metabolism of adipose tissue and behind, of whole body physiology. Furthermore we propose that adipose tissue communicates with the gut microbiota via the ECS. (BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques)  – UCL, 2015