Effects of different treatments on osteoblast morphology and adipocyte distribution and corresponding PPARγ expression.

<p>Representative micrographs in basal (BAS), vehicle (aging) control (CON), prednisone (GC) and GC plus 80 mg Sal B/kg/d (GC+B80) treated cancellous bone in distal femoral metaphysic. Arrows point to osteoblasts (Ob, Goldner's Trichrome stain). Active osteoblasts are present as multi- plump columnar lining on the trabecular surface in BAS and CON rats. The GC treatment induced the appearance of shriveling and inactive osteoblasts (v.s. BAS & CON) while the Sal B treatment protected GC-induced osteoblast impairment (GC+B80 v.s.GC). Adipocyte content (F.Ar, Hematoxylin stain) and corresponding immunohistochemical staining of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPARγ) expression (arrows from spots, PPARγ stain) increased between 6 and 9 months (BAS v.s. CON). The GC treatment markedly increased adipocyte number and size (GC v.s. BAS & CON), and the amount of PPARγ positive cells, while the Sal B treatment prevented the GC-induced increases (GC+B80 v.s.GC). Quantitative measurements of osteoblasts, fatty area and PPARγ expression are shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0034647#pone-0034647-t006" target="_blank">table 6</a> and <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0034647#pone-0034647-t008" target="_blank">table 8</a>.