Transplantation of interscapular brown adipose tissue in rats

Background: the activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT) – a highly metabolic tissue – has a magnificent role in the management of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes and numerous researchers have attempted to increase BAT via different methods including transplantation of BAT in animal models. Aims: to describe the protocol of the BAT transplantation in rats, as an animal model for studies about elevated BAT. Methods: twenty female Wistar rats were randomly divided in two groups (donor and recipient). Interscapular BAT (iBAT) were carefully removed from donors and transplanted into the interscapular region of the recipient rats, subcutaneously. To approve the successfulness of the operation, expression of the UCP1 mRNA and histological changes were evaluated in the grafts two months after surgery. Results: all operated rats have survived and fifty percent of the operations were successful. Conclusion: transplantation of BAT following this procedure in rats could be used as an acceptable animal model to investigate multiple aspects of elevated BAT.