Читать книгу Anatomy of bone system. The manual for medical students / Анатомия костной системы. Учебное пособие для медицинских вузов - Г. И. Ничипорук - Страница 9

The chemical composition of a bone depends on the condition of the bone under examination, its age and individual characteristics. In a grown-up, a fresh bone which is not treated contains: water – 50 %; fat – 16 %; other organic substances – 12 % and inorganic substances – 22 %. A dehydrated and defatted bone contains approximately two-thirds of inorganic substances and one third of organic substances.

The inorganic substances are mainly represented by calcium salts in the form of submicroscopic crystals of hydroxyapatite. The microscopic examination shows that the axes of crystals are oriented parallelly to osteal fibers. The crystals of hydroxyapatite form mineral fibers.

The organic substance of the bone is called ossein. This protein is the type of collagen. It forms the basic substance of the bone. Ossein is contained in osteal cells – osteocytes. There are osteal fibers containing protein – collagen – in the intercellular matrix of the bone. When bones are boiled, the proteins (collagen and ossein) form glutinous mass. It should be noted that the bony matrix contains mineral fibers, apart from collagen ones. The interlacement of organic and inorganic fibers determines the specific features of osseous tissue: durability and elasticity.

If a bone is treated by acid (decalcification), the mineral salts are removed. Such bone, containing only organic substance keeps its shape in all details, but becomes much more flexible and elastic. If the organic substance is removed from the bone through burning, the elasticity is lost. Such bone is very fragile.

The proportion of organic and inorganic substances in bones primarily depends on age, and it may change under the influence of various reasons (climatic conditions, nutrition, diseases). Thus in children, bones contain much less mineral (inorganic) substances, therefore they are more flexible and less solid. In elderly persons, vise versa, the amount of organic substances decreases. In such age, bones become more fragile and susceptible to fractures.