Abstract
This study examined the relationship between plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations, including branched-chain AAs, and brown adipose tissue density (BAT-d). One hundred and seventy-three subjects (69 men, 104 women) aged 22–68 years were recruited during the winter season. AAs were comprehensively quantified using liquid chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry. The total hemoglobin concentration in the supraclavicular region ([total-Hb]sup), an indicator of BAT-d, was assessed using near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy. Anthropometric parameters, including age, percentage of body fat, and visceral fat, were evaluated. Factors associated with higher (≥74 µM) or lower (<74 µM) [total-Hb]sup were investigated by multiple logistic regression models that included AA concentrations alone (model 1) or AA concentrations and anthropometric parameters (model 2) as independent variables. When adjusted for the false discovery rate, [total-Hb]sup was positively correlated with glycine and asparagine levels in men and with the serine level in both men and women and was negatively correlated with the branched-chain AA concentration in men. Models 1 and 2 correlated with higher or lower BAT-d for men (r = 0.73, p = 0.015) and women (r = 0.58, p = 0.079) and for men (r = 0.82, p = 0.0070) and women (r = 0.70, p = 0.020), respectively. A combination of anthropometric parameters and plasma AA concentrations could be a reliable biomarker for higher and lower BAT-d.
Highlights
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates heat and secretes anti-inflammatory cytokines, known as BATkines, and it is a potential strategy for promoting cardiometabolic health [1,2]
When each subject arrived in the laboratory, where the room temperature was regulated at 23–27 ◦C, the following parameters were measured: body height, body weight, %BF, visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness (SATsup) in the supraclavicular region, brown adipose tissue density (BAT-d), and plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations
Values are shown as the mean ± standard deviation. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 in men versus women. %BF, percentage of body fat; Body mass index (BMI), body mass index; [total-Hb]sup, total hemoglobin concentration in the supraclavicular region; VFA, visceral fat area
Summary
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) dissipates heat and secretes anti-inflammatory cytokines, known as BATkines, and it is a potential strategy for promoting cardiometabolic health [1,2]. BAT is reported to be related to less adiposity, including the percentage of whole body fat (%BF) and visceral fat area (VFA) [3,4,5], in healthy individuals and to increased glucose sensitivity in their obese counterparts [6] and patients with type 2 diabetes [7]. Increasing the activity or volume of BAT may help to combat obesity and certain chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The activity of BAT can be evaluated by 18Ffluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) (18FDG-PET/CT) in cold-stimulated environments [3,8,9]. Each method has limitations, including high cost, ionizing radiation exposure, being time-intensive to perform, and/or requirement for acute cold exposure to stimulate BAT [3,8,9] Other non-invasive technologies used to evaluate the characteristics of BAT in humans include magnetic resonance imaging [10], skin thermal measurements [11], infrared thermography [12], near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy (NIRTRS) [13,14], and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography [15].
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