Figure 4.

Obesity-induced biophysical alterations are more pronounced in VAA glycocalyx. Adipose arteries were isolated and open en face so that biophysical properties of the glycocalyx could be assessed using atomic force microscopy. A: significant increases in SAA and VAA endothelial glycocalyx elastic modulus (EM) were detected with obesity following an independent samples Mann–Whitney test. *P < 0.05, compared with arteries isolated from the same adipose tissue of lean mice. A paired Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the glycocalyx EM of adipose arteries isolated from the same lean or obese mice. †P < 0.05, compared with arteries isolated from different adipose depots within diet group. B: significant decreases in SAAs and glycocalyx thickness with obesity were observed following an independent samples Mann–Whitney test. *P < 0.05 compared with arteries isolated from the same adipose tissue of lean mice. A paired Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the glycocalyx thickness of adipose arteries isolated from the same lean or obese mice. †P < 0.05, compared with arteries isolated from different adipose depots within diet group. For A and B, 15–20 measurements were averaged from each VAA and SAA from the same mice (n = 6–8 arteries from 4 to 5 mice/group) and are shown as connected dot plots. Bar graphs show average and means ± SE for each artery type from lean and obese mice. ns, not significant; SAAs, subcutaneous adipose arteries; VAAs, visceral adipose arteries.