Rt. Dauchy et al., Preparation of the inguinal fat pad for perfusion in situ in the rat: A surgical technique that preserves continuous blood flow, CONT T LAB, 39(5), 2000, pp. 29-33
We developed a surgical technique for preparing the inguinal fat pad of rat
s for perfusion that preserves continuous blood flow to the tissue. Fatty a
cid uptake from the fat pads of fed rats (46.1 +/- 2.1% of arterial supply,
n = 82) and release from those of fasted (48 h) animals (51.3 +/- 3.1% of
supply, n = 69) occurred principally via the free fatty acid component of t
he blood; levels of triglycerides, cholestryl esters, and phospholipids did
not change significantly. Venous blood flow in perfusions using blood from
fed rats was 83.3 +/- 1.7 mL/min and 83.1 +/- 1.5 mu L/min in experiments
involving fasted donors. Values for arterial (A) and venous CV) pH (A, 7.41
+/- 0.03; V, 7.32 +/- 0.04), pO(2) (A, 151.6 +/- 15.7 mm Hg; V, 34.7 +/- 9
.2 mm Hg), pCO(2) (A, 30.8 +/- 6.6 mm Hg; V, 58.2 +/- 5.2 mm Hg), and hemat
ocrit (A, 44.6 +/- 1.2%; V, 45.7 +/- 1.2%) were unchanged throughout the co
urse of the perfusions, Fat pad and blood perfusates were maintained at 37
degrees C. Tissue homogenates revealed that the total fatty acid content of
fat pads fi om fed rats (333.5 +/- 0.3 mg/g tissue) differed significantly
from that in fasted animals (260.7 +/- 0.7 mg/g tissue; P < 0.001). Our te
chnique likely will have many uses in the study of lipid transport and meta
bolism, hyperlipidemia, and cancer-associated cachexia.