High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images
The aim of this study was to create and validate a high-throughput method based on open-source software for the measurement of adipocyte diameters in white adipose tissue histological sections. Human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples collected during bariatric surgery were used to prep...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Adipocyte |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21623945.2025.2528437 |
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| author | Alan Ramalho Marie-Frédérique Gauthier Ina Maltais-Payette Giada Ostinelli Frédéric Hould Laurent Biertho André Tchernof |
| author_facet | Alan Ramalho Marie-Frédérique Gauthier Ina Maltais-Payette Giada Ostinelli Frédéric Hould Laurent Biertho André Tchernof |
| author_sort | Alan Ramalho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The aim of this study was to create and validate a high-throughput method based on open-source software for the measurement of adipocyte diameters in white adipose tissue histological sections. Human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples collected during bariatric surgery were used to prepare haematoxylin and eosin-stained histological slides. Adipocyte diameters were measured both manually and with an automated procedure created using ImageJ. Comparative analysis of our automated method with the manual measurement and associations of the mean adipocyte diameters with cardiometabolic markers were used to validate our method. A total of 377 adipose samples (190 participants) were included in the analysis. Pearson correlation of mean adipocyte diameters showed a strong linear relationship between methods (r = 0.87, p < 0.0001). Omental adipocyte diameters of both methods were significantly associated with the same markers of cardiometabolic risk (fasting concentrations of TG, HDL-Chol, homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and visceral adiposity index values) with no significant differences between methods. There were also no significant differences between the manual and automated method regarding the correlations between mean subcutaneous adipocyte diameters and anthropometric or metabolic markers. In conclusion, we have created and validated a rapid automated method to measure adipocyte diameters from whole-slide adipose tissue images. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e0bd2cfbb70e4d21bfd114f04b987c5b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2162-3945 2162-397X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Adipocyte |
| spelling | doaj-art-e0bd2cfbb70e4d21bfd114f04b987c5b2025-08-20T03:31:30ZengTaylor & Francis GroupAdipocyte2162-39452162-397X2025-12-0114110.1080/21623945.2025.2528437High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue imagesAlan Ramalho0Marie-Frédérique Gauthier1Ina Maltais-Payette2Giada Ostinelli3Frédéric Hould4Laurent Biertho5André Tchernof6École de nutrition, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de nutrition, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de Nutrition, Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de Nutrition, Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de nutrition, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de nutrition, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, CanadaÉcole de nutrition, Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, CanadaThe aim of this study was to create and validate a high-throughput method based on open-source software for the measurement of adipocyte diameters in white adipose tissue histological sections. Human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples collected during bariatric surgery were used to prepare haematoxylin and eosin-stained histological slides. Adipocyte diameters were measured both manually and with an automated procedure created using ImageJ. Comparative analysis of our automated method with the manual measurement and associations of the mean adipocyte diameters with cardiometabolic markers were used to validate our method. A total of 377 adipose samples (190 participants) were included in the analysis. Pearson correlation of mean adipocyte diameters showed a strong linear relationship between methods (r = 0.87, p < 0.0001). Omental adipocyte diameters of both methods were significantly associated with the same markers of cardiometabolic risk (fasting concentrations of TG, HDL-Chol, homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and visceral adiposity index values) with no significant differences between methods. There were also no significant differences between the manual and automated method regarding the correlations between mean subcutaneous adipocyte diameters and anthropometric or metabolic markers. In conclusion, we have created and validated a rapid automated method to measure adipocyte diameters from whole-slide adipose tissue images.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21623945.2025.2528437Adipocytesadipose tissuecell sizeImageJhistomorphometry |
| spellingShingle | Alan Ramalho Marie-Frédérique Gauthier Ina Maltais-Payette Giada Ostinelli Frédéric Hould Laurent Biertho André Tchernof High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images Adipocyte Adipocytes adipose tissue cell size ImageJ histomorphometry |
| title | High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images |
| title_full | High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images |
| title_fullStr | High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images |
| title_short | High-throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open-source software using whole-slide adipose tissue images |
| title_sort | high throughput measurement of adipocyte size with open source software using whole slide adipose tissue images |
| topic | Adipocytes adipose tissue cell size ImageJ histomorphometry |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21623945.2025.2528437 |
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