THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF RABBIT BONE MARROW IN RELATION TO ITS MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

A method of preparing rabbit bone marrow for the measurement of its O consumption (OC) is described. The OC of the marrow of normal adult rabbits (av. 600 mm.Vdry gm./hr.) is variable, owing to differences in the histologic composition, principally in the myeloid-erythroid ratio: the OC rate rises with increased myeloid cells at least partly because of their larger av. size. The relatively mature normoblast cannot be considered a metabolically inactive cell, for its rate of OC, in proportion to its size, is not markedly different from that of the av. myeloid cell. The immature erythroid cell exhibits a relatively high rate of OC. In the myeloid series, the age of the cells is of less importance than in the erythroid series, but intense granulation is probably associated with a high rate of OC. In extreme cases, a high % of fat in the marrow is associated with a low rate of OC and vice versa, but in general, the fat content of the marrow is not a good index of its metabolic activity.