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Review

Imaging Metabolically Active Fat: A Literature Review and Mechanistic Insights

1
Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-8542, USA
2
College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, 10th Floor, Room 1092, 1601 Cherry Street, Mail Stop 10501, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
3
Department of Internal Medicine, Touchstone Diabetes Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-8542, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(21), 5509; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20215509
Submission received: 6 October 2019 / Revised: 1 November 2019 / Accepted: 1 November 2019 / Published: 5 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Imaging in Diabetes, Obesity and Infections)

Abstract

Currently, obesity is one of the leading causes death in the world. Shortly before 2000, researchers began describing metabolically active adipose tissue on cancer-surveillance 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in adult humans. This tissue generates heat through mitochondrial uncoupling and functions similar to classical brown and beige adipose tissue in mice. Despite extensive research, human brown/beige fat’s role in resistance to obesity in humans has not yet been fully delineated. FDG uptake is the de facto gold standard imaging technique when studying brown adipose tissue, although it has not been rigorously compared to other techniques. We, therefore, present a concise review of established and emerging methods to image brown adipose tissue activity in humans. Reviewed modalities include anatomic imaging with CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); molecular imaging with FDG, fatty acids, and acetate; and emerging techniques. FDG-PET/CT is the most commonly used modality because of its widespread use in cancer imaging, but there are mechanistic reasons to believe other radiotracers may be more sensitive and accurate at detecting brown adipose tissue activity. Radiation-free modalities may help the longitudinal study of brown adipose tissue activity in the future.
Keywords: Brown adipose tissue; FDG; PET/CT; SPECT; fatty acids; acetate; carbon-13; MSOT; obesity Brown adipose tissue; FDG; PET/CT; SPECT; fatty acids; acetate; carbon-13; MSOT; obesity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Frankl, J.; Sherwood, A.; Clegg, D.J.; Scherer, P.E.; Öz, O.K. Imaging Metabolically Active Fat: A Literature Review and Mechanistic Insights. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 5509. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20215509

AMA Style

Frankl J, Sherwood A, Clegg DJ, Scherer PE, Öz OK. Imaging Metabolically Active Fat: A Literature Review and Mechanistic Insights. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019; 20(21):5509. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20215509

Chicago/Turabian Style

Frankl, Joseph, Amber Sherwood, Deborah J. Clegg, Philipp E. Scherer, and Orhan K. Öz. 2019. "Imaging Metabolically Active Fat: A Literature Review and Mechanistic Insights" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 21: 5509. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20215509

APA Style

Frankl, J., Sherwood, A., Clegg, D. J., Scherer, P. E., & Öz, O. K. (2019). Imaging Metabolically Active Fat: A Literature Review and Mechanistic Insights. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(21), 5509. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20215509

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