Validation of a novel microradiography device for characterization of bone mineralization

International audienceIn order to simplify bone mineralization measurements, a system using radiographic films has been updated with a digital detector. The objective of this paper was to validate this new device. Technologies and physical phenomena involved in both systems (radiographic films and digital detector) are different. The methodology used to compare the two systems was based on image quality and assessed on two main parameters: contrast to noise ratio and spatial resolution. Results showed that the contrast to noise ratio was similar between the two systems, provided that acquisition parameters were optimized. With regard to spatial resolution, a magnification factor of at least 4 or more was required to achieve the same resolution as films. A final validation was also shown on a real image of a bone sample. The results showed that both systems have similar image quality performances, and the system using digital detector has several advantages (easier to use than films, no consumables and faster acquisition time)

Compositional and mechanical properties of growing cortical bone tissue: a study of the human fibula

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Compositional and mechanical properties of growing cortical bone tissue: a study of the human fibula

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Mineral maturity and crystallinity index are distinct characteristics of bone mineral

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mineral maturity and crystallinity index are two different characteristics of bone mineral. To this end, Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) was used. To test our hypothesis, synthetic apatites and human bone samples were used for the validation of the two parameters using FTIRM. Iliac crest samples from seven human controls and two with skeletal fluorosis were analyzed at the bone structural unit (BSU) level by FTIRM on sections 2–4 lm thick. Mineral maturity and crystallinity index were highly correlated in synthetic apatites but poorly correlated in normal human bone. In skeletal fluorosis, crystallinity index was increased and maturity decreased, supporting the fact of separate measurement of these two parameters. Moreover, results obtained in fluorosis suggested that mineral characteristics can be modified independently of bone remodeling. In conclusion, mineral maturity and crystallinity index are two different parameters measured separately by FTIRM and offering new perspectives to assess bone mineral traits in osteoporosis

The Ratio 1660/1690 cm−1 Measured by Infrared Microspectroscopy Is Not Specific of Enzymatic Collagen Cross-Links in Bone Tissue

In postmenopausal osteoporosis, an impairment in enzymatic cross-links (ECL) occurs, leading in part to a decline in bone biomechanical properties. Biochemical methods by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are currently used to measure ECL. Another method has been proposed, by Fourier Transform InfraRed Imaging (FTIRI), to measure a mature PYD/immature DHLNL cross-links ratio, using the 1660/1690 cm−1 area ratio in the amide I band. However, in bone, the amide I band composition is complex (collagens, non-collagenous proteins, water vibrations) and the 1660/1690 cm−1 by FTIRI has never been directly correlated with the PYD/DHLNL by HPLC. A study design using lathyritic rats, characterized by a decrease in the formation of ECL due to the inhibition of lysyl oxidase, was used in order to determine the evolution of 1660/1690 cm−1 by FTIR Microspectroscopy in bone tissue and compare to the ECL quantified by HPLC. The actual amount of ECL was quantified by HPLC on cortical bone from control and lathyritic rats. The lathyritic group exhibited a decrease of 78% of pyridinoline content compared to the control group. The 1660/1690 cm−1 area ratio was increased within center bone compared to inner bone, and this was also correlated with an increase in both mineral maturity and mineralization index. However, no difference in the 1660/1690 cm−1 ratio was found between control and lathyritic rats. Those results were confirmed by principal component analysis performed on multispectral infrared images. In bovine bone, in which PYD was physically destructed by UV-photolysis, the PYD/DHLNL (measured by HPLC) was strongly decreased, whereas the 1660/1690 cm−1 was unmodified. In conclusion, the 1660/1690 cm−1 is not related to the PYD/DHLNL ratio, but increased with age of bone mineral, suggesting that a modification of this ratio could be mainly due to a modification of the collagen secondary structure related to the mineralization process

A new murine model of osteoblastic/osteolytic lesions from human androgen-resistant prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Up to 80% of patients dying from prostate carcinoma have developed bone metastases that are incurable. Castration is commonly used to treat prostate cancer. Although the disease initially responds to androgen blockade strategies, it often becomes castration-resistant (CRPC for Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer). Most of the murine models of mixed lesions derived from prostate cancer cells are androgen sensitive. Thus, we established a new model of CRPC (androgen receptor (AR) negative) that causes mixed lesions in bone. METHODS: PC3 and its derived new cell clone PC3c cells were directly injected into the tibiae of SCID male mice. Tumor growth was analyzed by radiography and histology. Direct effects of conditioned medium of both cell lines were tested on osteoclasts, osteoblasts and osteocytes. RESULTS: We found that PC3c cells induced mixed lesions 10 weeks after intratibial injection. In vitro, PC3c conditioned medium was able to stimulate tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and endothelin-1 (ET1) were highly expressed by PC3c while dikkopf-1 (DKK1) expression was decreased. Finally, PC3c highly expressed bone associated markers osteopontin (OPN), Runx2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and produced mineralized matrix in vitro in osteogenic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We have established a new CRPC cell line as a useful system for modeling human metastatic prostate cancer which presents the mixed phenotype of bone metastases that is commonly observed in prostate cancer patients with advanced disease. This model will help to understand androgen-independent mechanisms involved in the progression of prostate cancer in bone and provides a preclinical model for testing the effects of new treatments for bone metastases

Automation of the Peak Fitting Method in Bone FTIR Microspectroscopy Spectrum Analysis: Human and Mice Bone Study

FTIR microspectroscopy (FTIRM) is a commonly used nondestructive method to characterise thin bone sections. However, spectrum analysis methods are often highly sensitive to small variations (e.g., boundary limits), thus implying a time-consuming and redundant analysis process. To solve this issue, software has been developed based on several algorithms to automate the analysis. Furthermore, a rigorous framework has been established concerning the peak fitting method to obtain the systematic best potential solution. Validation of the automatic method has been performed by comparison with the manual method. Results and validation proved the reliability of the automatic process. The developed algorithms provide the means necessary to fully compare the results between bone FTIRM studies and between different laboratories

Is cortical porosity associated with degraded material quality?

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