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Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adipose Axis

Meaning

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adipose Axis is a conceptual neuroendocrine regulatory loop that integrates the central nervous system’s control over energy balance with the peripheral metabolic and secretory functions of adipose tissue. This axis extends the classic HPA and HPG models by recognizing adipose tissue, once viewed only as an energy storage organ, as a dynamic endocrine gland that secretes hormones like leptin and adiponectin. The functional integrity of this axis is central to maintaining metabolic homeostasis, and its disruption is fundamentally implicated in obesity, insulin resistance, and related endocrine disorders.