Dr.

Mohammed Elhussiny Ali

MBBCh, MSc, PHD.
Assistant professor of Histology & Cell biology.
Batterjee Medical College.
BONE TISSUE
 CLOs

1. Classification of Bone tissue.

2. Histological structures of the Bone tissue
The bone is a type of C.T has a hard, rigid (calcified) matrix.
Histological classification
A) Compact bone (regular).
B) Cancellous (spongy) bones (irregular).
General structure:
A) Periostium and endosteum.
B) Bone matrix containing fibers and cells.

Periosteum
- It is C.T covering of the bone
- It is formed of two layers:
1) Outer layer; thick, dense, fibrous, vascular layer (white collagenous
regular type) formed of collagen type I and fibroblasts with blood vessels
and nerves.
2) An inner cellular layer; formed of osteogenic cells and osteoblasts.
Functions of periosteum:
1) It provides nutrition of bone through its blood vessels.
2) Gives an attachment for tendons and ligaments.
3) Formation of bone by osteoblasts during bone growth
4) Share in repair after bone fracture and during remodeling of
bone.
Endosteum
Lines the inner surface of bone and bone cavities
Structure:
- Similar to inner cellular layer of periostium,.
- It is formed of osteogenic cells, osteoblasts but contain also (osteoclasts) and small
amount of vascular C.T membrane (fibroblasts and fine collagen fibers).
Functions:
1) Supplying the bone with blood and nutrition and new osteoblasts to allow bone
formation during growth.
2) Share in bone remodeling after fracture of bone (role of osteoclasts).
 Bone matrix
It is formed of tissue fluid (mainly water) and ground substances.

Ground substances
A) Inorganic portion:
- It represents about 65 % of weight of the bone and 50 % of its volume.
- Composed of calcium, phosphate, magnesium and potassium.

B) Organic portion:
1) Collagen type I (90%):
Arranged in bundles; show regular, irregular or concentric manners (lamellae).

2) Others (10%):
a) GAGs; as chondriotin sulphate and dermatan sulphate.
b) Glycoprotein; responsible for adhesion and attraction of Ca as osteopontin, osteocalcin and osteonectin.
c) Proteoglycans; as aggrican.
Bone lamellae (ostoid tissue):
 Bone lamellae (ostoid tissue):
The matrix of long bone (collagen type I, ground substances containing Ca
and osteocytes in between) is called osteoid tissue (lamellae).
Types of bone lamellae:
1) Outer circumferential lamellae; regular in shape and present under
periostium.
2) Inner circumferential lamellae; regular and present parallel to endostium.
3) Concentric lamellae; regular, in concentric manner and surrounding the
Haversian canals in the long (compact) bone, (sometimes called Haversian
lamellae).
4) Interstitial (inter Haversian) lamellae; irregular and present in between
the concentric or Haversian lamellae.
Bone cells
 1) Osteogenic cells (osteoprogenitor)
Origin; developed from UMC or pericytes.
Site; present in inner osteogenic layer of periosteum and in
endosteum.
LM; flat or spindle shaped cells, basophilic cytoplasm with pale flat
nucleus.
EM; many free ribosomes, few RER, small Golgi, mitochondria.
Function:
It is the only bone cell capable of mitosis and differentiation into
osteoblasts, so it is the most active bone cell during growth of
bone.
 2) Osteoblasts (bone forming)
Origin; developed from osteogenic cells (differentiate and can not divide).
Site; present in deep layer of periosteum and endosteum (marrow cavities).
LM:
- Oval branched cell has few processes with deep basophilic cytoplasm (so,
negative Golgi image beside the nucleus is observed).
- The nucleus is rounded, eccentric and pale vesicular (active).
EM:
- All features of actively protein secreting cells (many ribosomes, abundant,
RER, prominent Golgi, secretory vesicles, many mitochondria and
euchromatic nucleus with prominent nucleolus.
- The cells are connected by gap junctions.
Function; bone building through:
a) Synthesis and secretion of organic components of bone matrix
(type I collagen fibers, proteoglycans and glycoproteins.
b) Deposition of calcium

* Osteoblasts changed into osteocyte when surrounded by

lacuna and calcified matrix.
 3) Osteocytes
Origin & site; mature osteoblasts present inside a lacuna within bone matrix between bone
lamellae (each lacuna contains one cell, no cell nests).
LM:
Oval cell with multiple processes with basophilic cytoplasm and single oval deeply stained
central nucleus.
EM:
- Their cytoplasm resembles that of osteoblast with little RER and ribosomes.
- Gap junctions between contacting processes (contain actin microfilaments) of adjacent
osteocytes (to allow passage of nutrients and electrolytes between cells).
- The nuclei contain condensed heterochromatin.

Function: According to its functional state but generally preserve integrity of matrix through
active maintenance of bone matrix.
 4) Osteoclasts (bone resorping cells)
Origin:
From of monocytes (considered as a type of macrophages).

Site:
Present in endostium inside shallow spaces on bone surface where bone resorption
occurs called (Howship’s lacunae).
LM:
- Large (40-100 µm) irregular and motile cells.
- Have irregular brush (ruffled) acidophilic border
at areas of bone resorption.
- Pale acidophilic (foamy) cytoplasm.
- Multiple rounded basal nuclei (from 5- 50 nuclei).
EM:
The cytoplasm is divided into four regions or zones:
1) Ruffled border:
Irregular folded projections facing the bone matrix.
2) Clear zone:
- Surrounding ruffled border (contain actin microfilaments) to allow adhesion of osteoclasts to bone
matrix and to create
a microenvironment for bone resorption.
- Sometimes called sealing zone.
3) Vesicular (vacuolated) region:
Next to ruffled border and has many membrane
bounded vesicles of variable sizes and lysosomes.
4) Basal part:
It is contain abundant mitochondria, well developed Golgi, great number of lysosomes and some RER
and multiple nuclei.
Function;

bone resorption
 Compact bone
A solid mass of bone in which lamellae are arranged regularly.
Sites; shafts of log bones and thin plates covering the flat and irregular bones.
Structure:
It appears as acidophilic structure formed of (from outside to inside):
A) Periosteum covering the bone.
B) Endosteum; lining the bone cavity.
C) Bone matrix (lamellae):
1) Outer circumferential lamellae; below periosteum and surrounding outer surface of
the shaft of long bone (formed of parallel lamellae of collagen fibers type I and
osteocytes inside their lacunae between the lamellae).
2) Inner circumferential lamellae; parallel to endosteum.
3) Interstitial lamellae; irregular lamellae between the Haversian systems.
D) Haversian system (osteon)
The structural unit of compact bone formed of:
1) Central Haversian canal:
- Longitudinal canals parallel to longitudinal axis of long bone.
- 20- 40 µm in diameter and lined with endosteum.
- Contain loose C.T rich in blood vessels and nerves.
2) Volkmann’s canals:
- Oblique or transverse canals containing also loose areolar C.T.
- Communicates between Haversian canals, bone marrow cavities and periosteum to anatomies their
bone blood vessels.
3) Concentric lamellae:
- About (4-20 in number) surrounding the central canal in a helical course.
- Each lamella is formed of calcified collagen fibers.
4) Osteocytes; between these concentric lamellae.
 Spongy (cancellous) bone
Multiple branching bone trabeculae
composed of irregular bone lamellae
and having interconnecting cavities.
Sites:
1) All bones of embryo.
2) Center of flat bones e.g., dipole of skull, scapula and sternum.
3) Epiphysis of long bone and short or irregular bones as vertebrae.
 THANK YOU
For any questions feel free
to contact me
mohammed.elhussiny@bmc.edu.eg

Dr. Mohammed Elhussiny Ali

Assistant professor of Histology & Cell biology.
Batterjee Medical College.