Measurements of mineralization process in the femur growth plate and rib cartilage of the mouse using pixe in combination with a proton microprobe.

The femoral bone from the 18-day pregnancy embryo and an rib cartilage of mature mice have been investigated using PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission) in combination with a proton microprobe on snap frozen cryosectioned material. The localization and the results of quantitative measurement of P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe and Zn have been correlated with the histochemical localization of inorganic deposits. It has been found that in calcifying and degenerating cartilage of the growth plate there is substantial loss of S; this element being indicative for sulphate groups of glycosaminoglycans. This change seems to be an important factor conditioning the process of mineralization. Zn is found in higher concentration in mineralized tissues, both in embryonal and mature cartilage as well as in the bone, and this suggests that Zn is also involved in the mineralization process. The mineralization of rib cartilage exceeds that of embryonal bone, and the Ca/P ratio is higher in the former than in the hydroxyapatite of the latter. The method described is a useful analytical tool especially for such types of studies in which elements are not easily redistributed by freezing, cutting and drying; e.g. in investigations of mineral deposits.