An improved method for the precise unravelment of non-shivering brown fat thermokinetics.

ABSTRACT: Since the discovery of functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, research on BAT gained a new popularity to combat obesity and related comorbidities. To date, however, methods to quantify BAT thermogenesis are often either highly invasive, require advanced equipment, are time consuming or of limited sensitivity. Here we present a simple yet highly effective and minimally invasive protocol for the Precise Unravelment of Non-shivering brown fat thermoKinetics (PUNK) in mice using infrared thermography in combination with Vaseline to brush up the fur between the shoulder blades. We also use physiological and molecular readouts including indirect calorimetry, qPCR and Western Blots to test our protocol. Our study demonstrates that Vaseline before thermography vastly advances the r

SUBMITTER: Oelkrug R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7910537 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature