Suggestion of methodology for evaluation of abdominal adipose tissue of C57BL/6 female mice using in-vivo micro-CT

The aim of present study was to introduce the methodology for evaluation of abdominal adipose tissue using in-vivo micro-computed tomography (μ-CT). Eight C57BL/6 female mice (15 weeks, 21.5±1.3 g) were used. The torsos (the 1st lumbar vertebrae (L1) ∼ the 6th lumbar vertebrae (L6) were scanned by using in-vivo μ-CT. The volumes of total (TV), visceral (VV) and subcutaneous (SV) abdominal adipose tissue were measured. The areas of total (TA), visceral (VA) and subcutaneous (SA) abdominal adipose tissue on proximal (P), distal (D) and intermediate (I) region in each lumbar vertebrae (total 18 regions) were measured. And then, the correlations between weight and volumes and between volumes and areas were analyzed. There were no significant correlations between weight and TV, VV and SV (p>0.05). Significant correlations between TV and VV and SV were shown (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between TV and TAs except on L2-I and between VV and VAs except on L1-P and L2-P (p<0.05). Significant correlations between SV and SA on L1-P, L1-D, L2-P and L6-I were shown (p<0.05). These results might indicate that TA and VA in L3~L6 predict TV and VV, whereas SA did not predict SV. In the conclusion, the methodology for evaluation of abdominal adipose tissue using in-vivo μ-CT might be useful.