Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Feb;283(2):121-139.
doi: 10.1111/joim.12718. Epub 2018 Jan 15.

Clinical implications of bone marrow adiposity

A G Veldhuis-Vlug  1   2 , C J Rosen  2
Affiliations
Review

Clinical implications of bone marrow adiposity

A G Veldhuis-Vlug et al. J Intern Med. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Marrow adipocytes, collectively termed marrow adipose tissue (MAT), reside in the bone marrow in close contact to bone cells and haematopoietic cells. Marrow adipocytes arise from the mesenchymal stem cell and share their origin with the osteoblast. Shifts in the lineage allocation of the mesenchymal stromal cell could potentially explain the association between increased MAT and increased fracture risk in diseases such as postmenopausal osteoporosis, anorexia nervosa and diabetes. Functionally, marrow adipocytes secrete adipokines, such as adiponectin, and cytokines, such as RANK ligand and stem cell factor. These mediators can influence both bone remodelling and haematopoiesis by promoting bone resorption and haematopoietic recovery following chemotherapy. In addition, marrow adipocytes can secrete free fatty acids, acting as a energy supply for bone and haematopoietic cells. However, this induced lipolysis is also used by neoplastic cells to promote survival and proliferation. Therefore, MAT could represent a new therapeutic target for multiple diseases from osteoporosis to leukaemia, although the exact characteristics and role of the marrow adipocyte in health and diseases remain to be determined.

Keywords: bone marrow adipocyte; bone remodelling; haematopoiesis; mesenchymal stem cell.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in bone marrow hematopoietic cellularity per bone (A), conversion of hematopoietic to adipose marrow in the femur (B) development of hematopoiesis (C) and bone mass (D) during human life.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Methods of MAT evaluation 1. Iliac crest bone biopsy or marrow aspiration procedure. 2. Bone biopsy of the iliac crest (Goldner trichrome staining) showing trabecular bone (green), hematopoietic marrow (red) and the adipocyte ghosts (white). Image courtesy of Dr. N. Bravenboer. 3. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Quantitative Chemical Shift Imaging (QCSI) of the lumbar vertebrae (L1-4). A shows the MRI image of the lumbar vertebrae with the white line indicating the QCSI localizer, B shows the fat signal fraction image, with (C) color coding: from black (no fat), to white (all fat). Image courtesy of Dr. E.M. Akkerman. 4. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). A shows the MRI image of the lumbar vertebrae with the white box indicating the site of measurement B is an axample spectrum showing four peaks: olefinic, double bond -CH=CH- protons at 5.31 ppm, water protons at 4.65 ppm, the CH2methylene protons α- to a double bond (-CH=CHCH2-), at 2.03 ppm, and the bulk CH2methylene protons at 1.3 ppm. Image from Li JMRI 2011.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation
Figure 4
Figure 4
Function of the marrow adipocyte
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kalpaktsoglou PK. The development of haemopoiesis in foetuses, newborns and young infants. University of Athens; 1960.
    1. Mikkola HKA, Orkin SH. The journey of developing hematopoietic stem cells. Development. 2006;133:3733–44. - PubMed
    1. Emery JL, Follett GF. REGRESSION OF BONE-MARROW HAEMOPOIESIS FROM THE TERMINAL DIGITS IN THE FOETUS AND INFANT. Br J Haematol. 1964;10:485–9. - PubMed
    1. Piney A. The Anatomy Of The Bone Marrow: With Special Reference To The Distribution Of The Red Marrow. The British Medical Journal. 1922;2:792–5.
    1. Custer RP, Ahlfeldt FE. Studies on the structure and function of bone marrow. II. Variations in cellularity in various bones with advancing years of life and their relative response to stimuli. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 1932;17:960–2.

Publication types