Connective Tissue: Bone & Ossification Flashcards
What is the principle connective tissue cell of bone?
The osteocyte. It is the ‘dormant’ version of osteoblasts which build bone. The osteocyte is involved in bone maintenance, and lives in lacunae
What is bone technically and what makes it up?
It is mineralized connective tissue. It is roughly 35-50% ECM, made up of GAG ground substance and Type 1 collagen fibers (very eosinophilic). It is roughly 50-65% hydroxyapatite, the inorganic component of bone.
Can bone grow interstitially?
No, only cartilage can. Although both cartilage and bone exhibit appositional growth
What are the two types of bone tissue?
Compact (dense) - bone with few spaces, forms the outside
Spongy (cancellous, trabecular, medullary) - thin spicules of bone tissue (trabeculae) in a meshwork that forms inside of bone. Contains the marrow and blood vessels
What is a long bone?
Longer in one dimension than another. Has a central marrow cavity and layer of compact bone.
What is a short bone?
Nearly equal in length and diameter, has marrow cavity i.e. carpal bones of hand
What is a flat bone?
Thin and platelike bones with intervening layer of spongy bone, i.e. bones of calvaria (skull). Two layers of relatively thick compact bone
What are irregular bones?
Bones that don’t fit into the other categories, i.e. vertebrae
What are the three major regions of the long bone?
- Diaphysis - middle region
- Epiphysis - End region, expanded
- Metaphysis - between diaphysis and epiphysis
What makes up the diaphysis of a long bone?
The center is generally hollowed out and filled with bone marrow, called the medullary cavity.
There is only a small amount of spongy bone facing the marrow cavity, most of the spony bone is in the epiphysis. Covered with periosteum and endosteum
What makes up the metaphysis and epiphysis?
It has a core of spongy bone. The bone marrow occupies the spaces between the trabeculae of bone in the spongy bone. Outer shell of compact bone is thinner than in diaphysis. The epiphysis is not covered with periosteum wherever the bone articulates in the joint -> it is covered with articular cartilage (hyaline) with no perichondrium
How do you embed the organic components of bone?
Soak in acidic solutions or decalcify with EDTA
Can be stained with H&E once minerals have been removed.
How does organic bone typically stain?
It is eosinophilic because of the large amount of Type I collagen. The osteocytes can be seen trapped inside lacunae
How is an inorganic section of bone prepared?
Bone is dried, chipped, and polished, but not stained. Appears gray or yellow/gold
What is the periosteum and its two layers?
Covers all the external surfaces of the bone except articulating surfaces.
Outer layer is dense irregular connective tissue containing fibroblasts.
Inner layer is in contact with the surface of the bone and contains osteoprogenitor cells which could help start appositional growth
What are osteoprogenitor cells?
The precursors of osteoblasts, which produce bone. When they are in the periosteum, they are also called periosteal cells!
Where do muscles and tendons anchor?
The periosteum
What connects the periosteum to the compact bone?
Type 1 collagen fibers called Sharpey’s fibers
What are endosteal cells?
Osteoprogenitor cells found in the endosteum, can differentiate into osteoblasts. Remember, the endosteum lines all the inner surfaces of bones
What are circumferential lamellae?
Layers of mineralized matrix of compact bone that run around entire bone at inner and outer surfaces
What are osteons?
What limits their size?
They are parallel sheets of mineralized matrix around a central (Haversian) canal. They run parallel to the axis of the long bone. There are typically 5 but up to 20 lamallae (concentric ring layers) around an osteon. Size is limited by diffusion of nutrients and oxygen from the Haversian canal blood vessels
What is the cement line?
Outermost layer of osteon, sometimes visible in ground bone sections as a refractile annulus (or ring)
What are interstitial lamallae?
Fragments of old osteons found between neighboring osteons. Basically, ring shapes without Haversian canals
How to lacunae appear differently in ground bone vs. demineralized sections?
Ground bone: dark against a light background
Demineralized: White spaces with osteocytes sometimes visible within them
What are canaliculi? Where are they best seen?
Canals connecting lacunae together. Each contains an osteocyte process that forms a gap junction with a neighboring osteocyte’s process. Best seen in ground bone sections as dark
How is blood supplied to the compact bone?
Mainly centrifugally (from center outward). However, some blood is supplied by periosteal arteries