抄録
Osteocytes are believed to act as mechanosensory cells in mechanically adaptive bone remodeling. The cell body of osteocytes has various morphology depending on the types of bone, surrounding mechanical environment and degree of maturation. The difference in osteocyte morphology will significantly affect the mechanosensitivity of the cells. In this study, we aim at identifying the relationship between the maturation and morphology of osteocytes within tissue by the morphometry of osteocytes based on technique of fluorescence imaging. Using parietal bone of a mouse, we labeled the newly formed bone by calcein to visualize the maturation stage of osteocytes. Furthermore, we fluorescently stained actin cytoskeleton in osteocytes and measured the area and aspect ratio of individual cell body. As a result, calcein-labeled bone clearly showed the process of bone formation, therefore enabled us to estimate the degree of osteocyte maturation. As osteocytes matured, the area of each cell body decreased while the aspect ratio increased. These results are qualitatively in agreement with previously reported experimental studies.
