Bone's Material Constituents and their Contribution to Bone Strength in Health, Disease, and Treatment

Abstract

Type 1 collagen matrix volume, its degree of completeness of its mineralization, the extent of collagen crosslinking and water content, and the non-collagenous proteins like osteopontin and osteocalcin comprise the main constituents of bone's material composition. Each influences material strength and change in different ways during advancing age, health, disease, and drug therapy. These traits are not quantifiable using bone densitometry and their plurality is better captured by the term bone 'qualities' than 'quality'. These qualities are the subject of this manuscript.