Q.Differentiate white adipose tissue from brown adipose tissue.

White adipose tissue stores energy in a single large fat droplet per cell with few mitochondria, while brown adipose tissue has many small fat droplets and abundant mitochondria specialised for heat generation.

White Adipose Tissue (WAT):

• Each cell (adipocyte) contains a single, large lipid droplet that pushes the nucleus and cytoplasm to the periphery of the cell — this arrangement is called unilocular.
• Contains relatively few mitochondria.
• Appears white to yellowish in colour.
• Main function: long-term storage of energy as triglycerides, and providing thermal insulation and cushioning for organs.
• Distributed widely under the skin (subcutaneous) and around internal organs in adults.

Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT):

• Each cell contains multiple small lipid droplets scattered through the cytoplasm — this arrangement is called multilocular.
• Contains abundant mitochondria, whose iron-rich cytochromes give the tissue its characteristic brown colour.
• Main function: heat production through non-shivering thermogenesis — the mitochondria contain the uncoupling protein thermogenin (UCP1), which lets fatty acid oxidation release energy directly as heat rather than as ATP. …