Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mineral concentration gradients in rat femoral diaphyses measured by X-ray microtomography

  • Laboratory Investigations
  • Published:
Calcified Tissue International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The bone mineral concentrations of five rat femora were measured as a function of distance from the distal metaphysis by quantitative X-ray microtomography (XMT) at a resolution of approximately 23×23×15 μm3. Assuming the mineral phase of bone to be hydroxyapatite, Ca10 (PO4)6 (OH)2, the mean cortical mineral concentration (CM) per transverse section was found to range from 1.33 to 1.47 g cm-3. Detectable variations in the bone mineral concentration between sections of femora from different animals could not be attributed to the age when the particular animal was sacrificed. An increase in CM with distance, L, from the distal growth plate was observed and a saturating exponential equation, CM = a − be αL, was used to describe the changes. Each section of bone tissue was considered as a population of elementary volumes of bone (EVB) and L was related to the age of the EVB (TEVB). A simple model for the mineralization process of an EVB was then proposed Each newly formed EVB accumulated mineral rapidly to give an initial mineral concentration of ∼1.3 g cm-3 (parameter a-b). Their mineral concentrations then increased asymptotically to ∼1.5 g cm-3 (parameter a) with a time constant of ∼330 days. This slow maturation process is attributed to Ostwald ripening of the bone crystals with further crystal growth using ions from the extracellular fluid.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Johnson R (1993) Mass attenuation coefficients, quantities and units for use in bone mineral determinations. Osteoporosis Int 3:103–106

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kalu DN, Liu CC, Hardin RR, Hollis BW (1989) The aged rat model of ovarian hormone deficiency bone loss. Endocrinology 124:7–16

    Google Scholar 

  3. Richelle LJ (1964) One possible solution to the problem of the biochemistry of bone mineral. Clin Orthop 33:211–219

    Google Scholar 

  4. Simmons ED, Pritzker KPH, Grynpas MD (1991) Age-related changes in the human femoral cortex. J Orthop Res 9:155–167

    Google Scholar 

  5. Boskey AL, Marks SC Jr (1985) Mineral and matrix alterations in the bones of incisors-absent (ia/ia) osteopetrotic rats. Calcif Tissue Int 37:287–292

    Google Scholar 

  6. Lane JM, Betts F, Posner AS, Yue DW (1984) Mineral parameters in early fracture repair. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 66:1289–1293

    Google Scholar 

  7. Rowland RE, Jowsey J, Marshall JH (1959) Microscopic metabolism of calcium in bone. III. Microradiographic measurements of mineral density. Radiat Res 10:234–242

    Google Scholar 

  8. Grynpas MD, Holmyard D (1988) Changes in quality of bone mineral on aging and in disease. Scanning Microsc 2:1045–1054

    Google Scholar 

  9. Enlow DH (1975) Handbook of facial growth. WB Saunders Company, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  10. Brookes M (1971) The blood supply of bone. Butterworth & Co. Ltd., London

    Google Scholar 

  11. Aries LJ (1941) Experimental analysis of the growth pattern and rates of appositional and longitudinal growth in the rat femur. Surg Gynecol Obstet 72:679–689

    Google Scholar 

  12. Pratt CWM (1959) Postnatal changes in the shaft of the rat's femur. J Anat 93:309–322

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sontag W (1992) Age-dependent morphometric alterations in the distal femora of male and female rats. Bone 13:297–310

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mechanic GL, Arnaud SB, Boyde A, Bromage TG, Buckendahl P, Elliott JC, Katz EP, Durnova GN (1990) Regional distribution of mineral and matrix in the femurs of rats flown on Cosmos 1887 biosatellite. FASEB J 4:34–40

    Google Scholar 

  15. Alam C, Chander CL, James I, Pirie C, Thompson P, Willoughby DA (1992) A study of the mechanisms of inflammation mediated osteoporosis using as animal model and biochemical markers of bone metablism. Eur J Clin Rheu. 10:476

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kak AC, Slaney M (1988) Principles of computerized tomographic imaging. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  17. Elliott JC, Anderson PA, Davis GR, Wong FSL, Dover SD (1994) Computed tomography, part II: the practical use of a single source and detector. JOM 46(3):11–19

    Google Scholar 

  18. Davis GR, Elliott JC, Anderson P (1992) Quantitative microtomography using a 10 μm polychromatic x-ray beam from a laboratory source. In: Mitchette AG, Morrison GR, Buckley CJ (eds) X-ray microscopy III. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp 458–460

    Google Scholar 

  19. Davis GR (1994) The effect of linear interpolation of the filtered projections on image noise in X-ray computed tomography. J X-ray Sci Technol 4:191–199

    Google Scholar 

  20. McMaster WH, Kerr Del Grande N, Mallett JH, Hubbell JH (1969) Compilation of x-ray cross sections. Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Report UCRL-50174 Sec. II Rev. 1 and Section IV, University of California, Livermore

    Google Scholar 

  21. Weast RC (1976) Handbook of chemistry and physics, 57th ed. CRC Press, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

    Google Scholar 

  22. Robinson RA (1960) Chemical analysis and electron microscopy of bone. In: Rodahl K, Nicolson JT, Brown EM (eds) Bone as a tissue. McGraw-Hill Book, New York, pp 186–250

    Google Scholar 

  23. Boyde A, Howell PGT, Bromage TG, Elliott JC, Riggs CM, Bell LS, Kneissel M, Reid SA, Jayasinghe JAP, Jones SJ (1992) Application of mineral quantitation of bone by histogram analysis of backscattered electron images. In: Slavkin H, Price P (eds) Chemistry and biology of mineralized tissues. Proc 4th Int Conf on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues held in Coronado, California, February 5–9, 1992. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 47–60

    Google Scholar 

  24. Richelle LJ, Onkelinx C, Aubert J-P (1966) Bone mineral metabolism in the growing rat. In: Fleisch H, Blackwood HJJ, Owen M (eds) Calcified tissues 1965. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp 123–132

    Google Scholar 

  25. Grynpas MD, Simmons ED, Pritzker KPH, Hancock RV, Harrison JE (1986) Is fluoridated bone different from non-fluoridated bone? In: Ali SY (ed) Cell-mediated calcification and matrix vesicles. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 409–414

    Google Scholar 

  26. Legros R, Balmin N, Bonel G (1987) Age-related changes in mineral of rat and bovine cortical bones. Calcif Tissue Int 41: 137–144

    Google Scholar 

  27. Burnell JM, Teubner EJ, Miller AG (1980) Normal maturation changes in bone matrix, mineral, and crystal size in the rat. Calcif Tissue Int 31:13–19

    Google Scholar 

  28. Leblond CP, Wilkinson GW, Bélanger LF, Robichon J (1950) Radio-autographic visualization of bone formation in the rat. Am J Anat 86:289–341

    Google Scholar 

  29. Atkinson PJ, Weatherell JA (1967) Variation in the density of the femoral diaphysis with age. J Bone Joint Surg [Br] 49B:781–788

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Dental Health, The London Hospital Medical College, Turner Street, E1 2AD, London, United Kingdom

    F. S. L. Wong, J. C. Elliott, P. Anderson & G. R. Davis

Authors
  1. F. S. L. Wong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. C. Elliott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. R. Davis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wong, F.S.L., Elliott, J.C., Anderson, P. et al. Mineral concentration gradients in rat femoral diaphyses measured by X-ray microtomography. Calcif Tissue Int 56, 62–70 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298746

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00298746

Key words

Search

Navigation