THEORIES OF MINERALIZATION

DR.YUJVENDER SINGH

INTRODUCTION
Blood and presumably tissue fluid are super saturated in bone salts but mineralisation doesnt take place in all the tissues under normal condition. This indicates that there are certain factors that cause deposition of calcium and phosphate in them, the knowledge of which is still obscure. The deposition of calcium in bone and tooth is referred to as Calcification while Mineralisation refers to deposition of inorganic substances.

Various theories which explains mechanism of mineralisation

1. Booster mechanism. 2. Seeding mechanism/nucleation theory. 3. Matrix vesicle concept.

Booster mechanism
According to this mechanism, due to the activity of certain enzymes the concentration of calcium and phosphate ions would raise further leading to precipitation.

Theories based on Booster mechanism

1. Robinsons alkaline phosphatase theory. 2. Cartiers theory. 3. White and Hers theory. 4. pH of cartilage explaining mineralisation.

Robinsons alkaline phosphatase theory

The discovery of enzyme alkaline phosphates in mineralizing tissues suggests that this enzyme is responsible for mineralisation.

Mechanism

Alk pase releases inorganic phosphates from organic phosphates (hexose phosphates) and thus raise locally the concentration of phosphate ions in the tissue fluid which reacts with calcium ions in tissue fluid leading to ppt of insoluble calcium phosphate.

Further, it is also suggested that ppt will occur in stages.

3 Ca + 2 Po4-------------- Ca3 (po4)2 Ca + Hpo4 ------------------ amorphous apatite

This theory is not well accepted.

Cartiers theory
According to Cartier Alk pase has very little role in mineralisation and that ATPase is extremely powerful in inducing mineralisation. It was suggested that pyrophosphate was split off ATP and on entering bone is acted upon by pyrophosphatase, which releases inorganic phosphate, locally increasing its conc and which further combines with ca to form calcium phosphate. Not much favored.

White and Hers theory

White and Hers made surprising discovery that bone and especially dentin still possessed possibility of splitting phosphate easters even on removing and destroying all the enzymes. Purified collagen seems to behave like ATPase.

pH of cartilage explaining mineralisation

One of the oldest suggestion for mechanism of mineralisation is that pH of cartilage is higher then that of other tissues which would favor ppt of calcium phosphate.

2. Seeding mechanism
According to this mechanism, there are certain substances called seeding or nucleating having resemblance to apatite. These substances act as mold or template upon which crystals are laid down, after which crystallization proceeds automatically. This process is known as epitaxy.

The following substances have been considered as possible seeding substances both in-vivo and in-vitro:
Collagen.  Chondriotin sulfate.  Lipid substances.  Phospho proteins.


Matrix vesicle concept

Matrix vesicles were discovered simultaneously by Anderson and Ermanno Bonucci. Matrix vesicles (M V) are organelles of cellular origin that can be observed electron microscopically in the matrix of cartilage, bone, and other hard tissue.

Histochemical and biochemical studies have shown that matrix vesicle contain most of the substances that are believed to play a role in calcification process, esp Alk pase and related enzymes.

Mineralisation in enamel
Enamel is non-collagenous and Matrix vesicles are absent. Initiation of mineralisation in enamel takes place by :
Crystal growth from already mineralised dentin.  By matrix proteins secreted by the ameloblasts.  Combination of both.