What is the primary function of the canaliculi within the bone matrix?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Provision of passages for nutrient and waste exchange between osteocytes
Canaliculi are tiny canals that connect lacunae to each other and to the central canal. They allow osteocytes to communicate via gap junctions and receive nutrients despite being encased in a mineralized, impermeable matrix.
Keep practicing
More Bone and Cartilage Physiology questions
- The 'organic' part of the bone matrix, which provides flexibility and tensile strength, is primarily composed of:
- Which region of a long bone is the site of longitudinal growth during childhood?
- Unlike bone, cartilage is 'avascular.' How do chondrocytes receive their nutrients?
- The inorganic mineral salts of bone, which provide hardness and compressive strength, are primarily in the form of:
- Wolff’s Law of bone physiology states that:
- Which of the following describes 'Appositional growth' in bone?