title: Mineral changes in osteopetrosis.
abstract: Bones of animal models of osteopetrosis in a variety of animal species are characterized by increased density but impaired mechanical properties. Analysis of mineral properties by several physical-chemistry techniques has shown that the crystals in the hyper-mineralized bones are smaller and less perfect than those in age-matched normal animals. Here we review the data on mineral crystal changes in osteopetrosis and the techniques for determining these properties, and suggest that the small crystal size contributes to the bones' altered mechanical properties.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA. Boskeya@hss.edu
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boskey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D003460:Crystallization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008903:Minerals; D010022:Osteopetrosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals