Overweight and obesity are characterized by excessive fat mass accumulation produced when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. One plausible way to control energy expenditure is to modulate thermogenic pathways in white adipose tissue (WAT) and/or brown adipose tissue (BAT). Among the different environmental factors capable of influencing host metabolism and energy balance, the gut microbiota is now considered a key player. Following pioneering studies showing that mice lacking gut microbes (that is, germ-free mice) or depleted of their gut microbiota (that is, using antibiotics) developed less adipose tissue, numerous studies have investigated the complex interactions existing between gut bacteria, some of their membrane components (that is, lipopolysaccharides), and their metabolites (that is, short-chain fatty acids, endocannabinoids, bile acids, aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands and tryptophan derivatives) as well as their contribution to the browning and/or beiging of WAT and changes in BAT activity. In this Review, we discuss the general physiology of both WAT and BAT. Subsequently, we introduce how gut bacteria and different microbiota-derived metabolites, their receptors and signalling pathways can regulate the development of adipose tissue and its metabolic capacities. Finally, we describe the key challenges in moving from bench to bedside by presenting specific key examples.

超重和肥胖的特点是能量摄入超过能量消耗时产生过多的脂肪量积累。控制能量消耗的一种可能的方法是调节白色脂肪组织（WAT）和/或棕色脂肪组织（BAT）中的生热途径。在能够影响宿主代谢和能量平衡的不同环境因素中，肠道微生物群现在被认为是关键因素。开创性研究表明，缺乏肠道微生物（即无菌小鼠）或肠道微生物群耗尽（即使用抗生素）的小鼠产生的脂肪组织较少，许多研究调查了肠道细菌之间存在的复杂相互作用，其中一些它们的膜成分（即脂多糖）及其代谢物（即短链脂肪酸、内源性大麻素、胆汁酸、芳基烃受体配体和色氨酸衍生物）以及它们对 WAT 褐变和/或米色的贡献以及 BAT 活动的变化。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了 WAT 和 BAT 的一般生理学。随后，我们介绍肠道细菌和不同微生物群衍生的代谢物、它们的受体和信号通路如何调节脂肪组织的发育及其代谢能力。最后，我们通过呈现具体的关键示例来描述从实验室转向临床的主要挑战。