Calcium Analysis in Bones During Aging Process
Bone is a specialized connective tissue that together with cartilage makes up the skeletal system. These tissues serve three functions: a) mechanical support and site of muscle attachment for locomotion; b) protective: for vital organs and bone marrow, and c) metabolic: reserve of ions for the entire organism, especially calcium and phosphate. It is also a composite structure, consisting of inorganic mineral crystals an extracellular organic matrix, cells, lipids and waters. The mineral crystals are analogous to the geologic mineral hydroxyapatite (Boskey and Coleman, 2010). The cells which produce, nurture and remodel the mineralized extracellular matrix, also respond to mechanical and other signals, which determine the properties (morphology and function) of the bone (Boskey and Coleman, 2010). Bone remodelling is a complex process which involves a number of cellular functions directed toward the coordinated resorption and formation of new bone (Ronchetti et al., 1996; Goldhaber, 1997; Jin et al., 2000). Catabolic agents (prostaglandine E2 (PGE2) and human parathyroid hormone (h-PTH) fraction 1-34) or anabolic agents (ascorbic acid (AA) and bone morphogenetic proteine 4 (BMP4) could stimulate bone resorption or bone formation directly in a bone organ-culture (Dempster et al., 1993; Goldhaber, 1997; Sampath Kuber, 1999). The main objective of the current research proposal is to establish calcium as an independent index for observing bone resorption and bone formation processes, which are age dependant.