Bone Diagenesis and its Implication for Disease Diagnosis: The Relevance of Bone Microstructure Analysis for the Study of Past Human Remains

Abstract

When bone is exposed to the burial environment it may experience structural changes induced by multiple agents. The study of postmortem alterations is important to differentiate decomposition phenomena from normal physiological processes or pathological lesions, as well as to assess bone tissue quality. Microscopy is of great utility to evaluate the integrity of bone microstructure and it provides significant data on long-term bone decomposition. A total of 18 human bone sections (eight archeological and ten retrieved from an identified skeletal collection) were selected for analysis under plane light and polarized light. The aim of this exploratory study was to analyze the impact of diagenesis and taphonomy on the bone microstructure, as well as on the differential diagnosis of pathological conditions. The results showed that the microscopic approach to bone tissues contributed materially as an aid in the detailed description of the main diagenetic changes observed. It showed that gross inspection does not provide a realistic assessment of bone tissue preservation, which can impact in the characterization of lesions present and subsequent disease diagnosis. Therefore, researchers should continue to consider the application of histological techniques if the aim is to comprehend tissue integrity and its association with decomposition or disease.

Bad to the Bone: On In Vitro and Ex Vivo Microbial Biofilm Ability to Directly Destroy Colonized Bone Surfaces without Participation of Host Immunity or Osteoclastogenesis

“…In cariology research, the adverse effect of acidic pH on tooth dissolution caused by oral bacteria has been clearly demonstrated [19]. The correlation between low or acidic pH levels and adverse effects on bone health has also been previously established; however, data from bone diagenesis research indicates that higher or basic pH values can have damaging effects on bone health [12]. We also observed such a phenomenon in our previous study, and found that both acidic and basic environments produced by bacteria were still associated with HA damage [10].…”

“…Recent insight into bone diagenesis gained from the fields of paleoecology and paleopathology further demonstrate the importance of direct microbial degradation of hard tissues, i.e. bone and teeth [12]. Bone diagenesis has been shown to be a complex and site-specific process; and it is dependent on various external features of the burial environment such as pH, temperature, presence of oxygen, soil composition, groundwater chemistry, and most prominently, microbial-induced bioerosion [12].…”

“…bone and teeth [12]. Bone diagenesis has been shown to be a complex and site-specific process; and it is dependent on various external features of the burial environment such as pH, temperature, presence of oxygen, soil composition, groundwater chemistry, and most prominently, microbial-induced bioerosion [12]. Finally, accumulating evidence from the fields of environmental microbiology and marine microbiology also demonstrate the important role of biofilms in damaging colonized biotic and abiotic surfaces, thus contributing to the deleterious effects such as biofouling (microfouling) and biocorrosion [13].…”

The impact of burial period on compact bone microstructure: Histological analysis of matrix loss and cell integrity in human bones exhumed from tropical soil

“…Following inhumation, bone structural changes (including destruction of histological integrity or bioerosion) consist of a multiphase process involving alteration of the organic fraction of the bone matrix, changes to the mineral component (hydroxyapatite) and mineral infilling of vascular spaces [22,23]. Briefly, these structural changes may affect the integrity of the structural bone matrix, osteocytes and endothelial cells [10,24]. In general terms, buried skeletons may be considered to follow a…”

“…3 "diagenetic trajectory" through time, the expression of which has increasingly been used to describe various degradation pathways that bones may follow under the influence of various environmental factors-such as temperature, pH [21,25], local microbial fauna, hydrology [21,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32] and method of burial [24]. As a result of diagenesis, buried bones present a loss of bone matrix, frequently described as 'canals' or 'tunnels', caused by microorganisms or environment [10,33].…”