2026 Francesc Villarroya: Biology and Biochemistry Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Biology and Biochemistry	82	3630	3343	42	40	327	33439

Overview

Francesc Villarroya is affiliated with the University of Barcelona in Spain. Their research output prominently spans the intersection of medicine and biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology.

Their primary fields of study include:

Medicine
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Within these disciplines, Villarroya has focused on subfields such as:

Physiology
Molecular Biology
Epidemiology
Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Rheumatology

The main research topics that characterize Villarroya's work are:

Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
GDF15 and Related Biomarkers
HIV-related health complications and treatments
Birth, Development, and Health

Villarroya has published extensively, contributing to several journals with notable frequency. Venues with multiple publications include:

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Scientific Reports
Journal of the Endocrine Society
Nature Metabolism

Recent significant papers include:

SIRT3-mediated inhibition of FOS through histone H3 deacetylation prevents cardiac fibrosis and inflammation, 2020, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
The endocrine role of brown adipose tissue: An update on actors and actions, 2021, Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
Small extracellular vesicle-mediated targeting of hypothalamic AMPKα1 corrects obesity through BAT activation, 2021, Nature Metabolism
Meteorin-like/Meteorin-β protects heart against cardiac dysfunction, 2021, The Journal of Experimental Medicine
Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside restores insulin signaling and reduces inflammation in hypertrophic adipocytes, 2020, Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics

Collaborations have been an important aspect of Villarroya's research, with frequent co-authorship alongside researchers such as:

Marta Giralt
Rubén Cereijo
Aleix Gavaldà-Navarro
Joan Villarroya
Tania Quesada-López

Best Publications

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

Daniel J. Klionsky;Amal Kamal Abdel-Aziz;Sara Abdelfatah;Mahmoud Abdellatif

10661
Citations
Thermogenic Activation Induces FGF21 Expression and Release in Brown Adipose Tissue

Elayne Hondares;Roser Iglesias;Albert Giralt;Frank J. Gonzalez

661
Citations
Brown adipose tissue as a secretory organ

Francesc Villarroya;Rubén Cereijo;Joan Villarroya;Marta Giralt

638
Citations
BMP8B Increases Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis through Both Central and Peripheral Actions

Andrew J. Whittle;Stefania Carobbio;Luís Martins;Marc Slawik;Marc Slawik

607
Citations
White, Brown, Beige/Brite: Different Adipose Cells for Different Functions?

Marta Giralt;Francesc Villarroya

603
Citations
GLP-1 Agonism Stimulates Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis and Browning Through Hypothalamic AMPK

Daniel Beiroa;Monica Imbernon;Rosalía Gallego;Ana Senra

559
Citations
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha activates transcription of the brown fat uncoupling protein-1 gene. A link between regulation of the thermogenic and lipid oxidation pathways in the brown fat cell.

M. José Barberá;Agatha Schlüter;Neus Pedraza;Roser Iglesias

471
Citations
Hepatic FGF21 expression is induced at birth via PPARalpha in response to milk intake and contributes to thermogenic activation of neonatal brown fat.

Elayne Hondares;Meritxell Rosell;Frank J. Gonzalez;Marta Giralt

400
Citations
Fibroblast growth factor 21 protects against cardiac hypertrophy in mice.

A. Planavila;I. Redondo;E. Hondares;M. Vinciguerra;M. Vinciguerra

365
Citations
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) induces PPARγ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) gene expression and contributes to thermogenic activation of brown fat: involvement of PRDM16.

Elayne Hondares;Meritxell Rosell;Julieta Díaz-Delfín;Yolanda Olmos

363
Citations
Sirt1 acts in association with PPARα to protect the heart from hypertrophy, metabolic dysregulation, and inflammation

Ana Planavila;Roser Iglesias;Marta Giralt;Francesc Villarroya

327
Citations
SIRT3, a pivotal actor in mitochondrial functions: metabolism, cell death and aging

Albert Giralt;Francesc Villarroya

290
Citations
SIRT1 controls the transcription of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α(PGC-1α) gene in skeletal muscle through the PGC-1α autoregulatory loop and interaction with MyoD

Ramon Amat;Anna Planavila;Shen Liang Chen;Roser Iglesias

280
Citations
Inflammation of brown/beige adipose tissues in obesity and metabolic disease

F. Villarroya;R. Cereijo;A. Gavaldà-Navarro;J. Villarroya

278
Citations
Fibroblast growth factor 21 protects the heart from oxidative stress

Anna Planavila;Ibon Redondo-Angulo;Francesc Ribas;Gloria Garrabou

267
Citations
Browning of White Adipose Cells by Intermediate Metabolites:An Adaptive Mechanism to Alleviate Redox Pressure

Audrey Carrière;Yannick Jeanson;Sandra Berger-Müller;Mireille André

265
Citations
Thiazolidinediones and rexinoids induce peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-coactivator (PGC)-1alpha gene transcription: an autoregulatory loop controls PGC-1alpha expression in adipocytes via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivation.

Elayne Hondares;Ofelia Mora;Pilar Yubero;Marisa Rodriguez de la Concepción

249
Citations
Early oxidative damage underlying neurodegeneration in X-adrenoleukodystrophy.

Stéphane Fourcade;Jone López-Erauskin;Jorge Galino;Carine Duval

237
Citations
Beyond the sympathetic tone: the new brown fat activators.

Francesc Villarroya;Antonio Vidal-Puig;Antonio Vidal-Puig

234
Citations
PPARs in the Control of Uncoupling Proteins Gene Expression.

Francesc Villarroya;Roser Iglesias;Marta Giralt

233
Citations