Library · Physiology
Bone mineralization
Make it clearer
Bone is not stone: it is living tissue made of two things mixed together. On one side, fibers of type I collagen, a protein that resists pulling forces; on the other, mineral salts. Collagen by itself is not calcified.
The cell that puts the protein part together is the osteoblast, the bone-building cell. It produces, transports and arranges that matrix, which is called osteoid, and it is also the cell that sets in motion and then oversees its mineralization, meaning the point at which the mineral moves in.
What gets deposited is mostly hydroxyapatite crystals, made of calcium and phosphate. Think of a woven cloth that hardens as it fills with crystals.
Once the osteoid has mineralized, the precursor cell that made it ends up surrounded by substances called lacunae, and there it matures into an osteocyte.
In brief
Bone is connective tissue made mostly of type I collagen fibers and inorganic salts; collagen alone is not calcified.
A woven cloth that hardens as it fills with crystals.
The osteoblast makes, transports and arranges that matrix, and also starts and regulates its mineralization.
The mineral deposited is mostly hydroxyapatite crystals, made of calcium and phosphate.
Once the osteoid is mineralized, the precursor cell becomes surrounded by substances called lacunae and matures into an osteocyte.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHistology, Bone, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated