New laboratory tools in the assessment of bone quality

Daniel Chappard (1) , Michel-Félix Baslé (1) , Erick Legrand (1, 2) , Maurice Audran (1, 2)

1 GEROM - Groupe d'Études Remodelage Osseux et bioMatériaux
2 Service de rhumatologie

Bone quality is a complex set of different factors that are interdependent. The bone matrix organization can be described at five different levels of anatomical organization: nature (organic and mineral), texture (woven or lamellar), structure (osteons in the cortices and arch-like packets in trabecular bone), microarchitecture and macroarchitecture. Any change in one of these levels can alter bone quality. An altered bone remodeling can affect bone quality by influencing one or more of these factors. Here, we have reviewed the main methods that can be used in the laboratory to explore bone quality on bone samples. Bone remodeling can be evaluated by histomorphometry, microarchitecture is explored in 2D on histological sections and in 3D by microCT or synchrotron. Microradiography and scanning electron microscopy in the backscattered electron mode can measure the mineral distribution; Raman and Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy and imaging can simultaneously explore the organic and mineral phase of the matrix on multispectral images; scanning acoustic microscopy and nanoidentation provide biomechanical informations on individual trabeculae. Finally, some histological methods (polarization, surface staining, fluorescence, osteocyte staining) may also be of interest in the undestanding of quality as a component of bone fragility. Conclusion. A growing number of laboratory techniques are now available. Some of them have been described many years ago and can find a new youth, others having benefit from improvements in physical and computer techniques are now available.

Mots clés: Raman spectroscopy; bone quality; bone microarchitecture; bone mineralization; microCT; FTIRI; Raman spectroscopy.

Domaines: Rhumatologie et système ostéo-articulaire; Biomatériaux

Daniel Chappard, Michel-Félix Baslé, Erick Legrand, Maurice Audran. New laboratory tools in the assessment of bone quality. Osteoporosis International, 2011, 22 (8), pp.2225-2240. ⟨10.1007/s00198-011-1573-6⟩. ⟨hal-00840072⟩