Ultrastructure of heat-deproteinated compact bone.

Heat-deproteinated bone (calcined bone) is a natural candidate for an osteoreproductive biomaterial. Ultrastructural investigation has pointed out an important aspect of the preparation technique. Treatment of bone at temperatures exceeding 500 degrees C causes complete disruption of the tissue architecture and the reorganization of the mineral phase into tightly packed, dense crystals. At 500 degrees C or less the structure and distribution of the mineral phase remain unaffected, so that cross-banded 'shadows' of collagen fibrils are still readily observable, although collagen is no longer present in the samples. By its excellent structural preservation and natural porosity, low-temperature calcined bone seems to be a promising alternative for osteoreproduction.