New scanning electron microscopic method for determination of adipocyte size in humans and mice.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a new scanning electronic microscopic (EM) method for assessing fat cell sizes and compare fat cell size distribution in human adipose tissue from different fat depots before and after weight loss.


METHODS
Identical human fat tissue biopsies were separated into two fractions: one used to prepare a fat cell suspension by collagenase digestion followed by photomicrography (collagenase method) and the other fixed in formalin for EM analysis. The EM method was evaluated further by determining fat cell sizes from lean and ob/ob mice. Finally, the EM method was used to assess fat cell sizes in biopsies of different human depots from before and after weight loss.


RESULTS
Fat cell size distributions measured by the two methods were not identical, but differences were generally small. The EM method reproduced the well-documented fat cell size difference between lean and ob/ob mice. Large variation was detected in fat cell distributions among three depots in humans. Weight loss reduced fat cell sizes in subjects with large baseline fat cells but had no effect in subjects with small baseline fat cell sizes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the EM method may be a useful alternative for fat cell size analysis of clinical samples.
Guo
Wen
W
Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, 650 Albany Streeet, Room 805, Boston, MA 02118, USA. wguo@bu.edu
Bigornia
Sherman
S
Leizerman
Ilit
I
Xie
Weisheng
W
McDonnell
Marie
M
Clemente
Kara
K
Pirtskhalava
Tamara
T
Kirkland
James L
JL
Gokce
Noyan
N
Corkey
Barbara E
BE
Sullivan
Lisa M
LM
Apovian
Caroline M
CM
D017667:Adipocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology; D015431:Weight Loss