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Nutritional Methodology

Body Fat Content Can Be Predicted In Vivo in Mice Using a Modified Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Technique¹

Klara Sjögren^*, Nina Hellberg^*, Mohammad Bohlooly-Y^*, Lars Savendahl, Marie S. Johansson^**, Thomas Berglindh^**, Ingvar Bosaeus^* and Claes Ohlsson^*,2

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-41345 Göteborg, Sweden; Department of Woman and Child Health, Pediatric Endocrine Unit, Karolinska Hospital, SE-17176 Stockholm, Sweden; and Department of Integrative Pharmacology, AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal, S-43183 Mölndal, Sweden ^{** *}

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: claes.ohlsson{at}medic.gu.se

ABSTRACT

The introduction of transgenic mice as animal models in medical research has increased the need for methods to study the phenotype of mice. The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a method for in vivo prediction of fat content in living mice. We combined a modified dual-energy X-ray technique with an image analysis procedure. This combined procedure calculates the percentage of fat area, defined as the percentage of the total area of the mice consisting of >50% fat. A high correlation between the percentage of fat area and dissected adipose tissue was seen in both male and female mice (males, r = 0.92, P < 0.001; females, r = 0.88, P < 0.001). A high correlation was also seen between the percentage of fat area and serum levels of leptin (males, r = 0.95, P < 0.001; females, r = 0.86, P < 0.001). An additional experiment demonstrated a very strong correlation between the percentage of fat area and total body fat as determined by chemical extraction (r = 0.97, P < 0.001). In summary, the percentage of fat area, as measured with the dual-energy X-ray/image combined procedure, provides a good in vivo estimation of total body fat content in mice.

KEY WORDS: • fat • mice • leptin • body mass index • dual energy X-ray absorptiometry