Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2025
Body Composition and Metabolic Caging Analysis in High Fat Fed Mice
Published on: May 24, 2018
Effects of dietary methionine restriction on age-related changes in perivascular and beiging adipose tissues in the
Marissa McGilvrey1,2, Bethany Fortier1,3, Benjamin Tero1
1Center for Molecular Medicine, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Scarborough, Maine, USA.
Objective:
Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) regulates vascular health. Dietary methionine restriction (MetR) impacts age-related adiposity, and this study addresses its effects in PVAT.
Methods:
Male C57BL/6 mice at 8, 52, and 102 weeks of age were fed a standard (0.86%) or low-methionine (0.12%) diet for 52 weeks in 8-week-old and 52-week-old mice and for 15 weeks in 102-week-old mice.
Results:
Mice with dietary MetR were resistant to weight gain and maintained a healthy blood profile. Aging increased lipid accumulation, and MetR reversed this phenotype. Notch signaling in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) was decreased by MetR but increased in gonadal white adipose tissue. However, the Notch phenotype of brown adipose tissue (BAT) was not affected by MetR. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) was increased in PVAT, iWAT, and BAT by MetR when initiated in young mice, but this effect was lost in middle-aged mice.
Conclusions:
Lipid in mouse PVAT peaked at 1 year of age, consistent with peak body mass. MetR reduced body weight, normalized metabolic parameters, and decreased lipid in PVAT in all age cohorts. Mice fed a MetR diet from early maturity to 1 year of age displayed an increased thermogenic adipocyte phenotype in iWAT, PVAT, and BAT, all tissues with thermogenic capacity.
Insights
Dietary methionine restriction (MetR) combats age-related weight gain and fat accumulation in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT). MetR also promotes a thermogenic adipocyte phenotype, improving vascular health.
Area of Science:
- Metabolism and Aging
- Adipose Tissue Biology
- Vascular Health
Background:
- Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) plays a crucial role in maintaining vascular health.
- Dietary methionine restriction (MetR) is known to influence age-related adiposity.
- The specific effects of MetR on PVAT, particularly in the context of aging, require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of dietary methionine restriction (MetR) on perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in aging mice.
- To determine if MetR can mitigate age-related lipid accumulation and influence thermogenic properties of adipose tissues.
Main Methods:
- Male C57BL/6 mice of different ages (8, 52, 102 weeks) were fed either a standard or a low-methionine diet for varying durations.
- Body weight, blood profiles, lipid accumulation, Notch signaling, and Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MetR significantly reduced body weight and normalized metabolic parameters across all age groups.
- Aging led to increased lipid accumulation in PVAT, which was reversed by MetR.
- MetR increased Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in PVAT, inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT) when initiated in young mice, promoting a thermogenic phenotype.
Conclusions:
- Dietary methionine restriction effectively reduces body weight and PVAT lipid accumulation in aging mice.
- MetR promotes a thermogenic adipocyte phenotype in metabolically relevant adipose tissues, including PVAT, iWAT, and BAT.
- These findings suggest MetR as a potential dietary strategy to improve vascular health and combat age-related metabolic dysfunction.
