Your bones are made of much more than was previously thought. Take a look at this essential “goo” that makes bones as strong as they are and, at the same time, as fragile and dependent as they can be.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration, which is the main cause of fractured bones in elderly people. Currently, there is powerful diagnostic tools and treatment with a considerable efficacy, however, there might be more that can be done than the already available.
It was now discovered, a viscous substance that might influence our understanding of bone nature and future research. This substance is formed when citrate, a by-product of cell metabolism, comes in contact with water, capturing it, leading to its maintenance between the nano-crystals that form bone. These enable the formation of a layered structure which slides on top of each other and grants flexibility to the bone.
How does this work? Citrate bonds easily with calcium, which exists in major quantities in bone, holding the crystals together. At the same time, this “goo”, as the scientists call it, prevents the crystals to touch each other and form conglomerates of crystals which would make the bones less flexible and more prone to fracture.
As people suffer repeated bone trauma or aging, repairing of bone tissue becomes flawed and its mechanisms are not capable of reproducing the lost tissue at a fair rate. Eventually, some of the citrate substance escapes and nano-crystals merge together to form bigger ones. Therefore, this might help explain the origin of several bone-related diseases and injuries, such as osteoporosis.
More studies on this subject are being performed and the results might be out soon.
Cover image: Wikimedia commons.
References
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1315080111.
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Alen Piljić
Managing director | Life Science Network gGmbH
Also:
- President | Research Elements Association