Ossification center

Ossification center refers to the primary area where bone formation or ossification occurs during the development of the skeleton in an embryo or fetus. The process of ossification begins with the transformation of mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts, which then form the bone matrix.

Etymology

The term "ossification" is derived from the Latin "os", meaning "bone", and "-ficare", derived from "facere", meaning "to make". Thus, "ossification" essentially means "to make bone".

Types of Ossification Centers

There are two types of ossification centers: primary and secondary.

• Primary ossification centers are the first areas where ossification begins. They usually appear during the fetal stage in areas that will become the diaphysis (shaft) of long bones.

• Secondary ossification centers appear postnatally, usually at the ends of long bones that will become the epiphyses.

Related Terms

• Osteogenesis: The process of bone formation.
• Endochondral ossification: The process by which bone tissue is created in mammals.
• Intramembranous ossification: A process of bone development from fibrous membranes.
• Osteoblast: A type of cell that is responsible for bone formation.
• Osteocyte: A bone cell, formed when an osteoblast becomes embedded in the matrix it has secreted.
• Osteoclast: A type of bone cell that removes bone tissue by removing its mineralized matrix and breaking up the organic bone.

See Also

• Bone development
• Bone remodeling
• Bone marrow
• Bone disease

References

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  X-ray of ossification centers

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  Gray's Anatomy illustration of ossification centers

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  Ossification center