Ku. Lewandrowski et al., AN ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STUDY ON THE PROCESS OF ACID DEMINERALIZATIONOF CORTICAL BONE, Calcified tissue international, 61(4), 1997, pp. 294-297
Demineralization has been shown to foster osteoinductive properties of
cortical bone grafts, yet little is known about the process of demine
ralization and how to control it. The purpose of this study was to inv
estigate the process of cortical bone demineralization by using scanni
ng electron microscopy to evaluate how hydrochloric acid demineralizes
cortical bone. Results showed that in the demineralization of diaphys
eal cortical bone specimens using hydrochloric acid, a uniformly thick
circumferential band of demineralized bone matrix surrounds an inner
undecalcified bone core as the process of demineralization occurs. The
interface between the demineralized and mineralized section of the bo
ne specimens was extremely sharp. This interface between demineralized
and undemineralized bone was noted to advance as a reaction front wit
h increasing demineralization which resulted in continuous shrinkage o
f the inner cortical bone core. This study suggests that cortical bone
demineralization can be best described using an advancing reaction fr
ont theory, and this explanation can be used for implementation of the
concept of controlled demineralization.