The Effect of Hyperbaric Therapy on Brown Adipose Tissue in Rats

Figures

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  Figure 1. PET/CT images following cold exposure and HBO conditions. (A) Transverse (left), coronal (middle), and sagittal (right) views of PET/CT showing HBO-induced brown adipose tissues in Sprague-Dawley rats. White arrows indicate 18F-FDG uptake in the interscapular BAT. (B) Quantitative analysis of BAT volumes. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were drawn on PET images using PMOD software as described under “Materials and Methods.” Values are presented as ± S.E.M *** p < 0.001 compared to control (n = 5 per each condition).

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  Figure 2. RNA-seq and Western blot results of brown adipose tissues for the 7 day HBO condition. (A) RNA sequencing of BAT after HBO. Volcano plot of differentially expressed genes identified between control and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Blue dots indicate downregulated, and red dots denote upregulated gene expression with significance (cut-off: p < 0.05, Fold change >3). (B) Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of biological processes between control and HBO conditions based on RNA sequencing.

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  Figure 3. Effect of HBO on the expression of BAT markers. (A) Expression of a key set of brown fat marker genes (UCP1 and PGC−1α) was confirmed by immunoblot. (B) Quantification of protein levels. Actin was used as a loading control for protein expression. Values are shown as ± S.E.M * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001 compared to control (n = 3 per each condition).