Morphological relationships between osteoclasts and bone resorption surfaces on mouse parietal bones.

Parietal bones from mice 1-20 weeks of age were histochemically stained for detection of acid-phosphatase activity and then observed by the light microscope to evaluate the distribution and shape of osteoclasts on the inner surface of their bones. After microscopic examination, the same bones were macerated by NaOCl to both remove organic materials and expose the mineralized surface. The inner surface was then examined by scanning electron microscopy and the observations were compared with the light micrographs of the areas where osteoclasts were located. The bone resorption areas were identified as well-demarcated rough areas, and corresponded to the areas where osteoclasts were distributed. In young mice, osteoclasts observed in the bone resorption areas, which were composed of accumulations of irregular concavities, were mainly polygonal or round in shape. In adult mice, elongated osteoclasts with longer or shorter cytoplasmic processes were predominant; the bone concavities were also elongated and gathered in a flame-like pattern. The findings suggest that osteoclasts change shape according to their resorptive activities and that the activities differ between growing bones and those where growth has ceased, probably in relation to the modeling and remodeling of the bone.