Human brown adipose cells in culture.
Brown adipose tissue (BAT), obtained from the axillary and perirenal regions of newborns 24-48 h after death, was digested with collagenase and the free cells were cultured. Only the cultures of cells from tissue obtained later than 24 h post mortem were successful. These cells grew slowly to reach confluence. Their typical mitochondria gradually disappeared, being replaced by untypical mitochondria. After confluence, the cells accumulated large amounts of lipid in non-coalescent multivacuolar depots. This model can be useful for the study of the metabolic and morphological features of human brown fat cells.
D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000166:cytology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013997:Time Factors