Histology of Bone Development

Thursday, July 18, 2013

10:47 PM

Intramembranous Ossification
• Bone formation occurs directly in the primitive connective tissue (mesenchyme)
• Source of most flat bones of the skull and face (mandible and axilla)
• Mesenchyme differentiates into osteoprogenitor cells (parent cells)
• Undergo mitosis transforming into osteoblasts

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 Osteoblast
• Bone forming cell
• Responsible for formation of the bone matrix
• Forms thins bars of dense matrix which increase in size

• Eventually, osteoblasts become trapped inside the bony matrix and become osteocytes
• Formation of islands of developing bones (spicules)
• New osteoblasts maintain a layer at the surface of newly formed bone

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 • New osteoblasts maintain a layer at the surface of newly formed bone

OSTEOCYTES - principal cells of fully formed bone residing in lacunae

OSTEOCLASTS - multinucleated giant cells for bone resorption or remodelling
Primitdtive mesenchymal tissue filling the spaces between bony spicules, differentiate into the bone
marrow

High power
Green osteocytes

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High power
Single layer - osteocytes

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Bone marrow

Endochondral Ossification
• Also known as intra-cartilagenous ossification
• Involves the replacement of cartilage model by bone
• Responsible for formation of short and long bones
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 •

5 zones

1. Resting zone
• Zone of reserve cartilage
• Composed of primitive cartilage which are present nearest the
• Relative slow growth

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2. Proliferative zone
• Zone of proliferating cartilages
• Cells multiply rapidly
• Aligned in rows
• Course parallel with long axis of long zone

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 •

Arranged in single file

3. Zone of hypertrophy
• Hypertrophic cartilage zone
• No further cell multiplication
• They mature and enlarge
• Cytoplasms contains increase amount of glycogen and alkaline phosphatase

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4. Zone of cartilage calcification
• A narrow zone
• Cells degenerate
• Thin matrix between rows calcify

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 • Thin matrix between rows calcify

5. Zone of ossification
• Zone of cartilage remove and bone deposition
• Tufts of vascular marrow penetrate the calcified cartilage forming small marrow spaces
• Osteoblasts and bone spicules are deposited

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