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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging of Interscapular Brown Adipose Tissue
Published on: October 7, 2014
Cerenkov luminescence imaging of interscapular brown adipose tissue
Xueli Zhang1, Chaincy Kuo2, Anna Moore3
1Molecular Imaging Laboratory, MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School; Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University.
Abstract:
Brown adipose tissue (BAT), widely known as a "good fat" plays pivotal roles for thermogenesis in mammals. This special tissue is closely related to metabolism and energy expenditure, and its dysfunction is one important contributor for obesity and diabetes. Contrary to previous belief, recent PET/CT imaging studies indicated the BAT depots are still present in human adults. PET imaging clearly shows that BAT has considerably high uptake of (18)F-FDG under certain conditions. In this video report, we demonstrate that Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) with (18)F-FDG can be used to optically image BAT in small animals. BAT activation is observed after intraperitoneal injection of norepinephrine (NE) and cold treatment, and depression of BAT is induced by long anesthesia. Using multiple-filter Cerenkov luminescence imaging, spectral unmixing and 3D imaging reconstruction are demonstrated. Our results suggest that CLI with (18)F-FDG is a practical technique for imaging BAT in small animals, and this technique can be used as a cheap, fast, and alternative imaging tool for BAT research.
