Adipocyte

Univacuolar adipocytes in white adipose tissue

Adipocytes are the cells of fat tissue . They are 50 to 150 µm in size and encased in lattice fibers ( fat cell membrane ). They connect via net-like structures with their neighboring cells, making them the group of reticular cells can be assigned. Adipocytes develop from steatoblasts . There are basically two types of adipocytes, which are the main components of different types of adipose tissue:

• Univacuolar adipocytes ( lipocytes ) only have one vacuole , which is filled with lipids . This vacuole fills the cell almost completely, which is why there is hardly any space for the cell organelles and the cell nucleus is at the edge and flattened (signet ring shape of the cell nucleus). This type of cell builds up the white adipose tissue. The fat cells not only store fat, but also produce leptin , resistin and adiponectin .
• Plurivacuolar adipocytes , which store lipids in several separate vacuoles, mainly build up brown adipose tissue . Compared to the univacuolar adipocytes, their cell body is smaller.

An adipocyte can store a maximum of about 1  µg of fat.

The number of adipocytes remains constant in adulthood, regardless of weight and dietary measures. Each year 10% of adipocytes are approximately replaced ( cell replacement , cell turnover ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ R. Lüllmann-Rauch: Pocket textbook histology 3rd edition, Thieme, 2009, ISBN 978-3-13-129243-8 .
2. ↑ MJ Lentze, K. Heyne: Pediatrics: Basics and Practice. Edition 2, Springer, 2003, ISBN 3-540-43628-6 , p. 215. Limited preview in the Google book search.
3. ↑ Kirsty L. Spalding, Erik Arner, Pål O. Westermark, Samuel Bernard, Bruce A. Buchholz, Olaf Bergmann, Lennart Blomqvist, Johan Hoffstedt, Erik Naeslund, Tom Britton, Hernan Concha, Moustapha Hassan, Mikael Ryden, Jonas Frisen, Peter Arner: Dynamics of fat cell turnover in humans. In: Nature. 453, 2008, pp. 783-787, doi : 10.1038 / nature06902 . See also: The Persistence of Adipocytes or Why All Diets Fail. ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt . May 7, 2008.