Brown adipose tissue is a major site of glucose utilisation in C57Bl/6 ob/ob mice treated with a thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist.

Chronic treatment of C57Bl/6 ob/ob mice with the thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonist BRL 26830 increased the maximal activities of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase 2- and 3-fold respectively in interscapular brown adipose tissue. Combining measurements of whole body glucose turnover with measurements of the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose by tissues in vivo has allowed tissue rates of glucose utilisation to be calculated. Under basal conditions, brown adipose tissue accounts for only 1.6% of the whole body rate of glucose utilisation. This is increased to 3.7% in mice given a single dose of BRL 26830. In ob/ob mice treated chronically with BRL 26830, which causes brown adipose tissue hypertrophy, glucose utilisation by this tissue was increased to 4.1% of the whole body rate under the basal condition. In these mice, an additional acute treatment with BRL 26830 increased brown adipose tissue glucose utilisation rate to 12.5% of the whole body rate.