Abstract
Recent investigations suggest that certain types of human obesity may be related to excessive multiplication of adipocytes in the last trimester of gestation and the first year of life. If true, such multiplication could well be modifiable. Adipose cellular multiplication at other ages has also been suggested. This study was undertaken to determine the growth rate, in vitro, of adipocytes from children of different ages. Using a modification of Rodbell's technique adipocytes were disaggregated from adipose tissues obtained from anterior abdominal wall at laparotomies. The isolated cells were grown in McCoy's medium supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum in 5% Co2 and 95% balanced air at 37°C. The usually spherical adipocyte changed to a fibroblast appearance in several days and gradually lost intracellular lipids. Adipocytes from a 6 day old infant multiplied several fold, cells from a 4 month old multiplied fewer times while cells from children over 24 months have not been observed to multiply and tended to keep their intracellular lipids for longer periods. These findings suggest that the potential of human adipocytes to divide and multiply, at least in vitro, may be age dependent.
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Adebonojo, F., Lloyd, J. Growth of disaggregated human adipocytes in Tissue Culture. Pediatr Res 8, 905 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197411000-00057
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197411000-00057