Bone Tissue and The Skeletal System Bone (Osseous Tissue)

 Specialized cells - 2% of bone weight

The Skeletal System  Strong flexible matrix
Includes:  Calcium phosphate crystals - two-thirds of
 Bones bone weight
 Cartilages  Collagen fibers
 Joints
 Ligaments
 Other connective tissues General Shapes/Types of Bones
Functions:  Long bones (e.g., humerus, femur)
 Support against gravity  Short bones (e.g., carpals, tarsals, patella)
 Leverage for muscle action - movement  Flat bones (e.g., parietal bone, scapula,
 Protection of soft internal organs sternum)
 Blood cell production  Irregular bones (e.g., vertebrae, hip bones)
 Storage - calcium, phosphorous, fat Structure of Typical Long Bone
Diaphysis
 tubular shaft forming the axis of long bones.
Bone  Composed of compact bone
Functions  Central medullary cavity
 Provides support for the soft tissues of the body.  Contains bone marrow
 Provides sites for attachment of the muscles and Epiphysis
tendons essential for locomotion.  expanded end of long bones.
 Protects the vital organs of the cranium and  Composed mostly of spongy bone
various body cavities.  Joint surface is covered with articular
 Encloses blood-forming elements in the bone (hyaline) cartilage
marrow.  Epiphyseal lines separate the diaphysis from
 Plays an important role as a mobilizable store of the epiphyses
calcium and phosphate. Metaphysis
 Cells: Osteoblasts, Osteocytes,  where epiphysis and diaphysis meet
Osteoclasts
 Fibers: Type 1 Collagen
 Bone Matrix: Ground Substance Bone Membranes
 GAGs: Hyaluronan, Chondroitin & Keratan Periosteum
Sulfate  Provides anchoring points for tendons and
 Proteoglycans: short core proteins and
ligaments
relatively fewer GAG side chains than in
 Double-layered protective membrane,
cartilage.
supplied with nerve fibers, blood, and
 Hydroxyapatite crystals [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2]:
lymphatic vessels entering the bone via
 Calcium phosphate
nutrient foramina.
 Water content: 25%
 Inner osteogenic layer is composed of
 Collagen I: 90% of organic content.
osteoblasts and osteoclasts
 Other Ground Substance:
Endosteum
 Osteonectin: anchor collagen to bone
Delicate CT membrane covering internal
mineral.
surfaces of bone
 Osteocalcin: Calcium binding protein
Covers trabeculae of spongy bone
involved in bone calcification.
 Lines canals in compact bone
 Osteopontin: Binding of osteoblasts
 Also contains both osteoblasts and
and osteoclasts to bone.
osteoclasts
 Grows only by apposition.
 Highly vascular
Gross Anatomy of Bones
 External Features of Bones – projections,
depressions, and openings that serve as
Cartilage
sites of muscle, ligament, and tendon
Water content: ~70%
attachment, as joint surfaces, or conduits for
Collagen II: ~40% of organic content.
blood vessels and nerves
Grows interstitially and by apposition.
Avascular  Compact Bone – dense outer layer
 Spongy Bone – (cancellous bone)
honeycomb of trabeculae (needle-like or flat
pieces) filled with bone marrow
Spongy Bone
 No osteons
 Lamellae as trabeculae
o Arches, rods, plates of bone
o Branching network of bony tissue
o Strong in many directions
o Red marrow (blood forming) spaces
 Short, Irregular, and Flat Bones
 Plates of periosteum- covered compact
bone on the outside with endosteum-covered
spongy bone, diploë, on the inside
 Have no diaphysis or epiphyses
 Contain bone marrow between the
trabeculae
 Histology of Compact Bone
 Osteon – the structural unit of compact bone
 Lamellae – column-like matrix tubes
composed of collagen and crystals of bone
salts
 Central canal - (Haversian canal) canal
containing blood vessels and nerves
Compact Bone
 Lacunae - cavities in bone containing
osteocytes
 Canaliculi - hairlike canals that connect
lacunae to each other and the central canal
 Perforating canal (Volkmann’s) – channels
lying at right angles to the central canal,
connecting blood and nerve supply of the
periosteum to the central canal
Cells in Bone
 Osteoprogenitor cells – precursors to
osteoblasts
 Osteocytes - mature bone cells between
lamellae
 Osteoclasts - bone-destroying cells, break
down bone matrix for remodeling and
release of calcium
o Source of acid, enzymes for
osteolysis
o Calcium homeostasis
 Osteoblasts - bone-forming cells
o Responsible for osteogenesis (new
bone)
o Source of collagen, calcium salts
Bone Development
 Osteogenesis or Ossification – the
process of bone tissue formation that leads
to:
o The formation of the skeleton in
embryos
o Bone growth until early adulthood
o Bone thickness, remodeling, and
o repair
Formation of the Skeleton
 Before week 8, the skeleton of a human
embryo consists of fibrous membanes and
hyaline cartilage
 Intramembranous ossification – bone
develops from a fibrous connective tissue
membrane. The flat bones of the skull
(frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital) and the
clavicles are formed this way.
 Endochondral ossification – bone forms
by replacing hyaline cartilage, uses hyaline
cartilage “bones” as patterns
Bone Formation and Growth
Intramembranous Ossification
o Ossification—Process of
converting other tissues to bone
o Forms flat bones of skull, mandible,
clavicle
o Stem cells differentiate to
osteoblasts
o Produces spongy bone, then
compact bone
 An ossification center appears in the fibrous
connective tissue membrane
 Osteoblasts secrete bone matrix within the
fibrous membrane
 Osteoblasts mature into osteocytes
 The bone matrix develops into trabeculae.
 The trabeculae formed from various
ossification centers fuse with one another to
create spongy bone.
 Eventually the spaces between trabeculae fill
with red bone marrow.
Endochondral Ossification
 Most bones formed this way
 Cartilage model replaced by bone
 Replacement begins in middle (diaphysis)
 Replacement follows in ends (epiphyses)
 Longitudinal Bone Growth
 Longitudinal Growth (interstitial) – cartilage
continually grows and is replaced by bone
o Bones lengthen entirely by growth
of the epiphyseal plates
o Cartilage is replaced with bone CT
as quickly as it grows
o Epiphyseal plate maintains constant
thickness
Epiphyseal Plate
 Cartilage is organized for quick, efficient
growth
 Cartilage cells form tall stacks
o Chondroblasts at the top of stacks
divide quickly
o Pushes the epiphysis away from
the diaphysis
o Lengthens entire long bone
  Older chondrocytes signal surrounding  HCl that converts calcium
matrix to calcify, then die and disintegrate salts into soluble forms
o Leaves long trabeculae (spicules) o Dissolved matrix is endocytosed
of calcified cartilage on diaphysis and transcytosed into the interstitial
side fluid → the blood
o Trabeculae are partly eroded by  Homeostasis and Mineral Storage
osteoclasts o Bones store calcium
o Osteoblasts then cover trabeculae  Contain 99% of body
with bone tissue calcium
o Trabeculae finally eaten away from  Store up to two kg
their tips by osteoclasts calcium
 Hormones control
storage/release
 PTH, calcitriol
Appositional Bone Growth release bone
 Growing bones widen as they lengthen calcium
 Appositional growth – growth of a bone by  Calcitonin stores
addition of bone tissue to its surface bone calcium
 Bone is resorbed at endosteal surface and  Blood levels kept constant
added at periosteal surface
o Osteoblasts – add bone tissue to
the external surface of the
diaphysis
o Osteoclasts – remove bone from
the internal surface of the diaphysis

Bone - Remodeling/Homeostasis
 Role of Remodeling in Support
o Remodeling—Continuous
breakdown and reforming of bone
tissue
o Shapes reflect applied loads
o Mineral turnover enables adapting
to new stresses
 What you don’t use, you lose. The stresses
applied to bones during exercise are
essential to maintaining bone strength and
bone mass.
 Bone is active tissue – small changes in
bone architecture occur continuously – 5 to
7% of bone mass is recycled weekly –
spongy bone is replaced every 3-4 years and
compact bone approximately every 10 years
 Remodeling Units – adjacent osteoblasts
and osteoclasts deposit and reabsorb bone
at periosteal and endosteal surfaces
 Bone Depostition
o Occurs when bone is injured or
extra strength is needed
o Requires a healthy diet - protein,
vitamins C, D, and A, and minerals
(calcium, phosphorus, magnesium,
manganese, etc.)
 Bone Resorption
o Accomplished by Osteoclasts
(multinucleate phagocytic cells)
o Resorption involves osteoclast
secretion of:
 Lysosomal enzymes that
digest organic matrix