Bonghan system as mesenchymal stem cell niches and pathways of macrophages in adipose tissues

Abstract

A new technique for visualizing Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs) was developed by using a vivi-staining dye, Trypan blue. The dye stains BHDs and BHCs preferentially to adipocytes so that tracking a BHD and a BHC, even inside adipose tissues, is possible. Concerning the functions of the BHD and the BHC in adipose tissues, we propose conjectures: the Bonghan system may be niches for mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into adipocytes, and pathways for macrophages involved in adipogenesis. © 2009 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute.