FIGURE 1.

eNOS^−/− mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) show increased intra‐abdominal and liver fat accumulation independent of the food intake. (a) Experimental design. WT and eNOS^−/− mice were fed either a normal chow diet (ND) or a Western diet (i.e., a HFD) for 8 weeks, and body fat and liver fat were analyzed in vivo and ex vivo. (b) Examples of whole‐body Dixon images and in vivo voxel‐guided ¹H‐MRS acquired at 3‐T MRI in all groups. (c) Quantification of the intra‐abdominal fat, and (d) The percentage liver fat fraction accumulated in all groups at 8 weeks (n = 6–8/group). (e) Correlation between intra‐abdominal fat volume and percentage liver fat fraction at 8 weeks (n = 6–8/group). (f) Food intake (n = 6–10/group), (g) Percentage change in body weight (n = 7–12/group), and (h) Liver weight (n = 5–6/group) in the four experimental groups at 8 weeks. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical differences are denoted by ***p < 0.001. Correlation data were analyzed with a two‐tailed nonparametric Spearman test. eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; MRS, magnetic resonance spectroscopy; WT, wild‐type.