Bio-Protocol (Dec 2015)
Isolation of Lymphocytes from Murine Visceral Adipose Tissue
Abstract
Several studies have shown that the detrimental influence of abdominal obesity on metabolic processes is mediated by the intra-abdominal fat depot. Visceral adipose tissue has been shown to be an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM2). Diet-induced obesity in mice, primarily of the C57BL/6J strain, is a commonly used method to study the development of insulin resistance as a model for DM2. The white or visceral adipose tissue (here referred to as VAT), especially the fat around the gonads, is a commonly used organ of study in this model, as it accumulates large numbers of lymphocytes in response to diet-induced obesity. The protocol below describes the isolation of lymphocytes from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from VAT.