Changes in bone marrow blood flow with aging

Abstract

We investigated changes in bone marrow blood flow and histology with aging in rabbits. Bone marrow blood flow was measured by the hydrogen washout method, which was performed in the proximal tibia of Japanese white rabbits, 3-42 months of age. Bone marrow blood flow was found to decrease with age. Histological observations of the proximal tibia identified a decrease in the number of osteoblasts and hematopoietic cells, an increase of the number of empty lacunae, a reduction in bone formation rate, and a degeneration of marrow fat with aging. These results suggest that the decrease of bone marrow blood flow is related to histological changes found with aging.