title: In vivo phenotyping of the ob/ob mouse by magnetic resonance imaging and 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We studied ob/ob and wild-type (WT) mice to characterize the adipose tissues depots and other visceral organs and to establish an experimental paradigm for in vivo phenotyping.
  
  
  METHODS
  An in vivo evaluation was conducted using magnetic resonance imaging and 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). We used T1-weighted images and three-dimensional spin echo T1-weighted images for the morphological analysis and 1H-MRS spectra on all body mass, as well as 1H-MRS spectra focalized on specific lipid depots [triglyceride (TG) depots] for a molecular analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In ob/ob mice, three-dimensional evaluation of the trunk revealed that approximately 64% of the volume consists of white adipose tissue, which is 72% subcutaneous and 28% visceral. In vivo 1H-MRS showed that 20.00 +/- 6.92% in the WT group and 58.67 +/- 6.65% in the ob/ob group of the total proton content is composed of TG protons. In in vivo-localized spectra of ob/ob mice, we found a polyunsaturation degree of 0.5247 in subcutaneous depots. In the liver, we observed that 48.7% of the proton signal is due to water, whereas in the WT group, the water signal amounted to 82.8% of the total proton signal. With the sequences used, the TG amount was not detectable in the brain or kidneys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that several parameters can be obtained by in vivo examination of ob/ob mice by magnetic resonance imaging and 1H-MRS and that the accumulated white adipose tissue displays low polyunsaturation degree and low hydrolipidic ratio. Relevant anatomical alterations observed in urinary and digestive apparatuses should be considered when ob/ob mice are used in experimental paradigms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphological-Biomedical Sciences, Human Anatomy and Histology Section, Medical Faculty, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134, Verona, Italy. laura@anatomy.univr.it
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calderan
authors.forename: Pasquina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marzola
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nicolato
authors.forename: Paolo F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Fabene
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Milanese
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Saverio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cinti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sbarbati
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype