Morphology of the Vasculature and Blood Supply of the Brown Adipose Tissue Examined in an Animal Model by Micro-CT

Abstract

We performed micro-CT imaging of the vascular blood supply in the interscapular area of the brown adipose tissue in three mice with the use of intravascular contrast agent Aurovist™. Resulting 3D data rendering was then adapted into 2D resolution with visualization using false color system and grayscale images. These were then studied for the automatic quantification of the blood vessel density within this area. We found the highest most occurring density within arterioles or venules representing smaller blood vessels whereas with the increase of the vessel diameters a lower percentage rate of their presence was observed in the sample. Our study shows that micro-CT scanning in combination with Aurovist™ contrast is suitable for anatomical studies of interscapular area of brown adipose tissue blood vessel supply.

Experimental Applications and Factors Involved in Validating Thermal Windows Using Infrared Thermography to Assess the Health and Thermostability of Laboratory Animals

“…Thermoregulation via BAT responds to the sympathetic activation of the β-adrenoreceptors that are located in the brown adipocytes and to a dense vasculature that provides oxygen, removes CO 2 and products of cell metabolism, and, primarily, participates in thermogenesis through the Sulzer vein, which connects to the heart and other venous return towards the vertebral sinus [ 88 ]. The influence of the SNSi on adrenergic receptors in the BAT promotes lipolysis of free fatty acids and, with that, the production of heat [ 89 ] ( Figure 9 ).…”

Brown Adipose Tissue Rescues Bone Loss Induced by Cold Exposure

“…Perkin Elmer micro-CT was applied to analyze brown adipose tissue as described in previous studies ( 40 , 41 ). Briefly, mice were anesthetized with 30 mg/kg pentobarbital sodium and then scanned in the machine to measure BAT volume in the scapula.…”

Non-invasive optoacoustic imaging of dermal microcirculatory revascularization in diet-induced obese mice undergoing exercise intervention

“…Thus, a non-invasive imaging tool that can visualize and quantify lipids and blood constituents simultaneously or allow repeated assessments of vascular function in a pathological or therapeutic context would be essential for longitudinal monitoring of disease progression and treatment response. Even though non-invasive imaging methods such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) [17] , [18] , Computed Tomography (CT) [19] , [20] , [21] , and ultrasonograpy [22] , [23] can visualize the change in adipose tissue volume under physiological, pathological and therapeutic conditions, they require contrast agents for measuring microvasculature or blood volume parameters in adipose tissue, challenging in vivo and disseminated applications.…”