Development and involution of the interscapular organ in the rat: quantitative aspects
Cinti, S.; Cangiotti, A.M.; Morroni, M.; Zingaretti, M.C.
Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 64(5): 471-476
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-8771 PMID: 3179029 Document Number: 312674
Although brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been proven to be present at any age both in rats and humans, little is known about the amount of BAT in adult and old ages in these mammals. This study was performed in order to have quantitative data on the development and involution of interscapular organ in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were studied at various ages (0-1-3-5-7 weeks and 6-12-24 months). Isolated interscapular organ was weighed and serially sectioned. Each section was studied by morphometric analysis, using a semiautomated method, to estimate the parenchimal area occupied by BAT. Our results show that the absolute weight of the interscapular organ increases until adult age (1 year) and decreases in the old age (2 years). The percentage of the organ occupied by BAT decreases progressively, but at 2 years, about 50% of the organ is still composed by BAT. Therefore our findings suggest that the physiological role of BAT in thermogenesis could not be limited only to perinatal period.