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Osteoclasts dissolve and break down old or damaged bone cells. They make space for osteoblasts to create new bone tissue in areas that are growing or need repair. If osteoblasts are builders, osteoclasts are your bones’ demolition crew.
Osteoclasts are specialized bone matrix cells that possess the ability to erode bone, a process called resorption, during bone growth and remodeling. They are large, motile, multinucleated cells derived from the fusion of cells of the macrophage-monocyte cell line.
An osteoclast (from Ancient Greek ὀστέον (osteon) 'bone' and κλαστός (clastos) 'broken') is a type of bone cell that breaks down bone tissue. This function is critical in the maintenance, repair, and remodeling of bones of the vertebral skeleton.
Function. Osteoclasts serve a vital role in bone metabolism and turnover, being the cells responsible for bone resorption. As a result, they have two essential functions: maintaining strong and healthy bone architecture and maintaining normal plasma calcium levels.
Osteoclasts are the cells that degrade bone to initiate normal bone remodeling and mediate bone loss in pathologic conditions by increasing their resorptive activity. They are derived from precursors in the myeloid/monocyte lineage that circulate in the blood after their formation in the bone marrow.
The osteoclast, which is the sole bone-resorbing cell, is a unique polykaryon whose activity, in the context of the osteoblast, dictates skeletal mass. All forms of acquired osteoporosis reflect increased osteoclast function relative to that of the osteoblast.
Osteoclast, large multinucleated cell responsible for the dissolution and absorption of bone. Bone is a dynamic tissue that is continuously being broken down and restructured in response to such influences as structural stress and the body’s requirement for calcium.
Upon maturation and adhesion to bone surfaces, osteoclasts function through the formation of a sealing zone rich in F‐actin to form a ruffled border at the membrane designed to release protons and proteases to demineralize and break down bone matrix.
Osteoclasts, the bone-resorbing cells, play a pivotal role in skeletal development and adult bone remodeling. They also participate in the pathogenesis of various bone disorders.
The osteoclast is a multinucleated cell with the ability to degrade mineralized tissues dependent upon cellular attachment to the bone substratum. Osteoclasts are large cells (∼100 μm) and appear in histologic sections of bone generally in resorption pits called Howships lacunae.