Comprehensive Guide to Bone Tissue: Types, Anatomy, and Formation

What is the primary function of the skeletal system?

To provide structural support, protect organs, assist in movement, store minerals, and produce blood cells.

What is osteology?

The study of bone structure and treatment of bone disorders.

What are the five types of bones?

Long bones, short bones, flat bones, irregular bones, and sesamoid bones.

What is the diaphysis of a long bone?

The bone shaft or body.

What are the epiphyses of a long bone?

The proximal and distal ends of the bone.

What is the metaphysis?

The region between the diaphysis and epiphysis that contains the epiphyseal (growth) plate in growing bones.

What is the function of articular cartilage?

To reduce friction and absorb shock where bones articulate with each other.

What is the periosteum?

A tough connective tissue that nourishes bone, assists in fracture repair, and provides attachment for ligaments and tendons.

What is the medullary cavity?

The marrow cavity that contains yellow bone marrow and blood vessels.

What is the endosteum?

A thin membrane that lines the medullary cavity.

What are the two types of bone tissue?

Compact bone tissue and spongy bone tissue.

What is compact bone tissue?

Dense bone that composes the bulk of long bone diaphysis, providing protection and support.

What are osteons?

Repeated structural units of compact bone composed of concentric lamellae arranged around a central canal.

What is spongy bone tissue?

Also known as trabecular bone, it is located in the interior of bones and consists of trabeculae.

What is osteogenesis?

The process of bone formation.

What are the two patterns of bone formation?

Intramembranous ossification and endochondral ossification.

What occurs during intramembranous ossification?

Mesenchymal cells directly differentiate into osteoblasts, forming bone between two layers of mesenchymal membranes.

What is the primary ossification center?

The area where bone tissue replaces most of the cartilage during bone development.

What is the role of osteoclasts?

To break down spongy bone and create the medullary cavity.

What is the epiphyseal plate?

A layer of hyaline cartilage that remains between the diaphysis and epiphysis until puberty.

What are the four zones of the epiphyseal plate?

Zone of resting cartilage, zone of proliferating cartilage, zone of hypertrophic cartilage, and zone of calcified cartilage.

What happens in the zone of proliferating cartilage?

Chondroblasts secrete extracellular matrix and grow, leading to interstitial growth.

How does bone grow in thickness?

Through appositional growth, where ridges in the periosteum create grooves for blood vessels, and osteoblasts build new lamellae.

What is hemopoiesis?

The process of producing formed blood cells in red bone marrow.

What is the function of yellow bone marrow?

To store triglycerides, serving as an energy source.

What is the significance of the lacunae in compact bone?

Lacunae contain osteocytes and are filled with interstitial fluid, facilitating communication between osteocytes.

What is the role of canaliculi in bone tissue?

They are small channels that connect lacunae and allow for communication between osteocytes.

What is trabeculae in spongy bone?

Thin columns of bone that provide structural support and contain spaces filled with marrow.