High resolution magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of adipose tissue deposits in mice


High resolution magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of adipose tissue deposits in mice

Strobel, K.; van den Hoff, J.; Pietzsch, J.

Adipose tissue (AT) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. In this line, for investigation of AT biology and disorder rodent models gain increasing importance. However, non-invasive differentiation and characterization of AT deposits in rodents in vivo is a current challenge. In the present study, high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) techniques were applied for quantitative in vivo evaluation of various brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) deposits in mice. Experiments were carried out in NMRI and nude mice, respectively. Morphological differentiation between various AT deposits was obtained by 1H-MRI at 7 Tesla. Images were obtained with high spatial resolution of 156 microns. Furthermore, 1H-MRS has been performed to quantify in vivo different lipid patterns in BAT and WAT deposits using a volume selective PRESS sequence on 3 to 8 mm3 voxels. In both NMRI and nude mice various BAT and WAT deposits were clearly distinguished from the non-AT tissue with excellent contrast by T1-weighted MSME MRI sequences. High resolution spectra obtained at 7 Tesla allow identification of at least 9 different proton resonances specific for lipids, and, thus, for exact calculation of mono- to polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio in vivo. In this study, nude mice showed, e.g., a 4-fold higher degree of polyunsaturation of triglyceride fatty acids in BAT when compared to NMRI mice. High-resolution MRI and MRS are potentially useful tools for studying the biology of different BAT and WAT deposits non-invasively in rodent models in vivo.

  • Poster
    International Congress on Prediabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, 25.-28.04.2007, Barcelona, Spain
  • Abstract in refereed journal
    Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research 4(2007)Suppl. 1, S195

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Publ.-Id: 9752