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The Types Of Bone Tissue

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Bone tissue is a connective tissue with an abundant matrix of intercellular substances that encloses widely separated cells. The bone matrix is made up of an inorganic component known as mineral salts that hardens the bone, and an inorganic component – collagen fibres and an amorphous mixture called ground substance, which gives the bone its strength (Tortora, Grabowski 2001). There are three types of cells that can be found in the bone, they are osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes. Osteoblasts are the cells that synthesizes a specialized organic material called osteoid which is important in the build-up of mineralized bone, osteoclasts are relatively larger multi nucleate cells made up of mitochondria and lysosomes that are responsible for the continuous erosion of bones. Lastly the last cells found in the bone are osteocytes, these are adult osteoblast cells found in the lacunae that have been surrounded by mineralized matrix. (Thibodeau, Patton 2003).Osteocytes are responsible for maintaining metabolism within the bone such as the exchange of nutrients with the blood.
There are four types of bones – short bones, long bones, flat bones and irregular bones, which have different characteristics so at to be able to function effectively. Long bones are greater in length than width and is made up of varying numbers of ends and a shaft, an example is the humerus which is located in the arm. Short (sesamond) bones are almost as broad as they are long, such bones can be found

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