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.