Collagen texture and osteocyte distribution in lamellar bone.

A comparative scanning and transmission electron microscopy study was carried out on collagen fiber texture and osteocyte lacunae distribution in human lamellar bone. The results show that bony lamellae are not made up of parallel-arranged collagen fibers, as classically maintained. They are instead made up of highly interlaced fibers, and the lamellation appears to be due to the alternation of collagen-rich and collagen-poor layers, namely of dense and loose lamellae. The present study additionally shows that osteocyte lacunae are only located inside loose lamellae. Such structural organization of lamellar bone is briefly discussed in terms of bone biomechanics and osteogenesis.