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Updated: Sep 2, 2025
Whole Body and Regional Quantification of Active Human Brown Adipose Tissue Using 18F-FDG PET/CT
Published on: April 1, 2019
Xenon-enhanced computed tomography assessment of brown adipose tissue distribution and perfusion in lean, obese, and
John C Garside1,2, Kylie Kavanagh3,4, Masha R Block3
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Objective:
This study aimed to validate xenon-enhanced computed tomography (XECT) for the detection of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and to use XECT to assess differences in BAT distribution and perfusion between lean, obese, and diabetic nonhuman primates (NHPs).
Methods:
Whole-body XECT imaging was performed in anesthetized rhesus and vervet monkeys during adrenergic stimulation of BAT thermogenesis. In XECT images, BAT was identified as fat tissue that, during xenon inhalation, underwent significant radiodensity enhancement compared with subcutaneous fat. To measure BAT blood flow, BAT radiodensity enhancement was measured over time on the six computed tomography scans acquired during xenon inhalation. Postmortem immunohistochemical staining was used to confirm imaging findings.
Results:
XECT was able to correctly identify all BAT depots that were confirmed at necropsy, enabling construction of the first comprehensive anatomical map of BAT in NHPs. A significant decrease in BAT perfusion was found in diabetic animals compared with obese animals and healthy animals, as well as absence of axillary BAT and significant reduction of supraclavicular BAT in diabetic animals compared with obese and lean animals.
Conclusions:
The use of XECT in NHP models of obesity and diabetes allows the analysis of the impact of metabolic status on BAT mass and perfusion.
![Visualization and Quantification of Brown and Beige Adipose Tissues in Mice using [18F]FDG Micro-PET/MR Imaging](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F62460.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
