Compact bone structure of unmodified and genetically modified rabbits

Abstract

Bone, a relatively dense material in the sense of matrix, represents the main calcified tissue of the skeleton in mammals. Characteristic cells (osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, bone lining cells) are embedded in the matrix. Bone exists in two usually fairly distinct forms: woven bone and lamellar bone (it is composed of compact bone and trabecular bone). Various observations and conclusions have been made concerning the development and histology of the compact bone tissue in mammals, including rabbits. Similar investigations were only rarely performed in transgenic animals. This review summarizes recent results based on the histological analyses of bone tissue in unmodified, as well as in genetically modified rabbits. We provide the information that juvenile genetically modified rabbits with the WAP-hFVIII gene construct dispose fibrolamellar bone tissue which is not observed in unmodified rabbits even in any ontogenetic stages. It is believed that morphological investigation together with molecular and physiological analyses, as well as the use of animal models can contribute to the more detailed information about processes in bone tissue structure with a potential application of the results in biology and human medicine.