Use of osmium tetroxide staining with microcomputerized tomography to visualize and quantify bone marrow adipose tissue in vivo.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Institution/Department
MMCRI
Journal Title
Methods in enzymology
MeSH Headings
Adipogenesis, Adipose Tissue, White, Bone Marrow, Cell Differentiation, Humans, Osmium Tetroxide, Staining and Labeling, Stromal Cells, X-Ray Microtomography
Abstract
Adipocytes reside in discrete, well-defined depots throughout the body. In addition to mature adipocytes, white adipose tissue depots are composed of many cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and stromal cells, which together are referred to as the stromal vascular fraction (SVF). The SVF also contains adipocyte progenitors that give rise to mature adipocytes in those depots. Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) or marrow fat has long been known to be present in bone marrow (BM) but its origin, development, and function remain largely unknown. Clinically, increased MAT is associated with age, metabolic diseases, drug treatment, and marrow recovery in children receiving radiation and chemotherapy. In contrast to the other depots, MAT is unevenly distributed in the BM of long bones. Conventional quantitation relies on sectioning of the bone to overcome issues with distribution but is time-consuming, resource intensive, inconsistent between laboratories and may be unreliable as it may miss changes in MAT volume. Thus, the inability to quantitate MAT in a rapid, systematic, and reproducible manner has hampered a full understanding of its development and function. In this chapter, we describe a new technique that couples histochemical staining of lipid using osmium tetroxide with microcomputerized tomography to visualize and quantitate MAT within the medullary canal in three dimensions. Imaging of osmium staining provides a high-resolution map of existing and developing MAT in the BM. Because this method is simple, reproducible, and quantitative, we expect it will become a useful tool for the precise characterization of MAT.
ISSN
1557-7988
First Page
123
Last Page
139
Recommended Citation
Scheller, Erica L; Troiano, Nancy; Vanhoutan, Joshua N; Bouxsein, Mary A; Fretz, Jackie A; Xi, Yougen; Nelson, Tracy; Katz, Griffin; Berry, Ryan; Church, Christopher D; Rodeheffer, Matthew S; Macdougald, Ormond A; Rosen, Clifford J; Horowitz, Mark C; and Doucette, Casey R., "Use of osmium tetroxide staining with microcomputerized tomography to visualize and quantify bone marrow adipose tissue in vivo." (2014). MaineHealth Maine Medical Center. 343.
https://knowledgeconnection.mainehealth.org/mmc/343