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Activating Human Adipose Tissue with the β3-Adrenergic Agonist Mirabegron

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Brown Adipose Tissue

Abstract

An appealing strategy for treatment of metabolic disease in humans is activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), a thermogenic organ best visualized through 18F-FDG PET/CT. BAT has been activated to varying degrees by mild cold exposure. However, this approach can cause undesirable stress, and there remains no consensus protocol. Here, we describe standardized methods for both acute and chronic activation of BAT using the orally administered β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist, mirabegron. Acute pharmacological stimulation has enabled quantification of whole-body BAT volume and metabolic activity using PET/CT imaging, and chronic stimulation increases these properties of BAT over time.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), DK071013, DK071014, DK075112, DK075115, and DK075116.

Author Contributions

KYC, RJB, NSI, AJ, HJL, TNL, AEP, AMC all wrote sections and contributed to the editing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kong Y. Chen or Aaron M. Cypess .

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Chen, K.Y. et al. (2022). Activating Human Adipose Tissue with the β3-Adrenergic Agonist Mirabegron. In: Guertin, D.A., Wolfrum, C. (eds) Brown Adipose Tissue. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2448. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2087-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2087-8_5

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2086-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2087-8

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