Mapping glucose-induced hemodynamics in white fat depots with label-free optoacoustics

TL;DR

This study uses a non-invasive imaging technique to show how glucose affects blood flow in fat tissue, revealing differences between people with low and high BMI.

Contribution

The study introduces multispectral optoacoustic tomography as a novel method for label-free, non-invasive imaging of glucose-induced hemodynamics in white fat depots.

Findings

Higher BMI individuals showed reduced glucose-induced hyperemic responses in SAT at 60 minutes postprandially.

Abdominal SAT showed more active hemodynamics than femoral SAT in both BMI groups.

MSOT results correlated with longitudinal blood tests for cardiometabolic markers.

Abstract

Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) hemodynamics is an indicator of cardiometabolic health. Herein, we demonstrate a non-invasive approach for imaging SAT hemodynamics in humans using multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT). We evaluated different SAT depots in individuals with low (< 24 kg/m²) and high (≥ 24 kg/m²) BMI, with each group consisting of 8 participants, during oral glucose challenges. Our results indicate a significant decrease in glucose-induced hyperemic responses within SAT for individuals with higher BMI, at 60 min postprandially. MSOT also revealed that abdominal SAT exhibited a more active hemodynamic status compared to femoral SAT in both groups when compared to baseline measurements. MSOT readouts were further validated against longitudinal blood tests of triglycerides, glucose, lactate, and cholesterol. We introduce MSOT as a new method for studying SAT hemodynamics across multiple depots in a single test, providing invaluable insights into SAT physiology related to BMI fluctuations and general cardiometabolic health.

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