Mapping glucose-induced hemodynamics in white fat depots with label-free optoacoustics

Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) hemodynamics is an indicator of cardiometabolic health. Herein, we demonstrate a non-invasive approach for imaging SAT hemodynamics in humans using multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT). We evaluated different SAT depots in individuals with low (< 24 kg/m²) and high (≥ 24 kg/m²) BMI, with each group consisting of 8 participants, during oral glucose challenges. Our results indicate a significant decrease in glucose-induced hyperemic responses within SAT for individuals with higher BMI, at 60 min postprandially. MSOT also revealed that abdominal SAT exhibited a more active hemodynamic status compared to femoral SAT in both groups when compared to baseline measurements. MSOT readouts were further validated against longitudinal blood tests of triglycerides, glucose, lactate, and cholesterol. We introduce MSOT as a new method for studying SAT hemodynamics across multiple depots in a single test, providing invaluable insights into SAT physiology related to BMI fluctuations and general cardiometabolic health.