Blood flow rates through adipose tissues of unanesthetized rats

Abstract

Blood flow rates through interscapular, mesen-teric, retroperitoneal, epididymal, and inguinal adipose tissue were determined in fed male rats weighing 105-200 g. The method involved iv [intravenous] injection of tritium-labeled DDT and measurement of radioactivity in arterial blood of rats killed at 15-min. intervals after injection, and in adipose tissue of rats killed 3 hr. after injection. The partition coefficient of DDT- 3H between adipose tissue and arterial blood averaged about 4000 and the diffusion coefficient for DDT-3H was 1.0. The rates of blood flow during the morning when the animals were inactive ranged between 0.10 ml/min./g of fresh tissue weight in epididymal and inguinal subcutaneous white fat, and 0.27 ml/min. in interscapular brown fat. During the evening when the animals were active and feeding, rates of blood flow through all depots were about 50% greater than during the morning.