Abstract
To determine the effect of obesity on the size distribution of fat cell populations in human adipose tissue, omental fat tissue biopsies were obtained from lean, moderately obese, and massively obese patients. The size distributions of adipocytes from lean and obese fat tissues examined by the scanning electron microscopic method were bimodal, consisting of populations of very small fat cells and mature fat cells, in contrast to collagenase-derived isolated cells that showed only the large mature fat cells. The very small fat cell population represented 21 to 26% of the total fat cell number in the lean and in both obese groups. In contrast, preparations of human fat cells isolated by the collagenase method systematically excluded the very small fat cells. In massive obesity, both cell populations participated in the hyperplastic growth but only the larger mature fat cells increased in size, implying that these two cell populations differ in their physiological role.
Highlights
In the present study we examined the cellularity of human omental fat tissue in lean and obese human subjects comparing two methods: light microscopic examination of fat cells isolated by the classical collagenase method ( 5 ) and scanning electron microscopic visualization of intact fragments of fat tissues
The lobular structurecomposed of mature fat cells (MFC) andVSFC was maintained by a stroma of collagen fibers (Fig. 1A)
A distinct network of reticular fibers was closely associated with the cell surface of both MFC and very small fat cells (VSFC)(Fig. 1C)
Summary
Omental adipose tissue biopsies were obtained from the major omentum of a total of 20 patients: 1Q massively obese patients (9 females, 1 male, age 42 k 3 yr, weight 114 8 kg, BMI 43 k 1 kg/m2, mean k SEM) undergoing gas-. Krebs bicarbonate buffer (KRB) and processed immediately for light microscopic examination of isolated cdls, a n d for the preparation of intact fat tissue fragmentsfw scanning electron microscopy. Fixed intact adipose tissue blocks were coated with 200 A of gold using a sputter coater, and examined with a JEOL scanning electron microscope. Adipocyte diameters (250 cells) were determined from photomicrographs (magnification 100 x ) obtained by scanning electron microscopy of intact fat pads using a com-. Intact adipose tissue fragments from these subjects were immediately washed in KRB and processed for both light microscopic examination and transmission electron microscopy. The fat tissue fragments were fixed in glutaraldehyde-formaldehyde and osmium, and dehydrated in graded ethanol as described above.
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