The temporal degradation of bone collagen: A histochemical approach

Boaks, Amelia; Siwek, Donald F.; Mortazavi, Farzad

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.04.008

Cited by 46 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The results of this study can be utilized in forensic practice despite the different histomorphology of porcine and human bone. Mammalian models are commonly used in taphonomic experiments as a replacement for human material due to ethical and practical considerations (Carter et al, 2010;Schotsmans et al, 2012;Boaks et al, 2014; White and Booth,…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of hydrochloric acid on microstructure of porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cortical bone tissue

Sabolová

Břínek

Sládek

2018

Forensic Science International

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We evaluated the degradation of cortical bone tissue by hydrochloric acid (HCl) since intentional bone decalcification in a forensic context has not been studied on a histomorphological level. We used 70 pig metatarsal bones split into subsamples and immersed in one of three concentrations of acidic solutions (0.5M, 1M, 2M HCl) for two and four hours. We analyzed the cortical thicknesses on transversal cross-sections, thicknesses of the three histomorphologically distinct zones present in acid-immersed bones, and number and area of crystals present in one of the zones. Furthermore, we analyzed the ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P). We observed a division of the cortical bone cross section into three distinctive zones: demineralized matrix (DM) in the periosteal part of bone, middle contact zone (CZ), and mineralized matrix (MM) in the endosteal part of bone. With increasing acid concentration and time of immersion (from 0.5M HCl for 2h to 2M HCl for 4h), the thickness of DM increased by 67%, the thickness of CZ increased by 56%, and the thickness of MM decreased by 32%. The Ca:P ratio in the contact zone of acid-treated samples did not change significantly with changing acid concentration and time of immersion. The Ca:P ratio of the CZ decreased by 10% when compared to the Ca:P ratio of MM in acid-treated samples. Moreover, we observed crystals on the outer periosteal border of the DM zone, in the CZ, and in the MM Haversian/Volkmann's canals. The size and number of the crystals in the CZ of acid-treated bones increased with acid concentration and time of acid immersion. Moreover, we also observed significant differences in all analyzed properties between anatomical regions. Due to varying reactions to acid immersion among anatomical regions, bone micro-degradation should be observed separately for each region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of hydrochloric acid on microstructure of porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cortical bone tissue

Sabolová

Břínek

Sládek

2018

Forensic Science International

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“…Theoretically, postdepositional phenomena result in increasing loss of the organic component [21,22], so it was expected that the more ancient archeological bones had a smaller preservation of CC in comparison to the more recent forensic bones [39]. That would explain why the spectrum of forensic bones had a much more intense band of the amide I (collagen).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, this paper attempted to solve this question, by assessing if the amount of collagen content (CC) in human bones subsequently subjected to experimental and controlled burning had any significant correlation with the heat-induced occurrence of warping. Along with CC, intensity of combustion (maximum temperature, burning time, and temperature increment) [11,17], sex [17,19], age at death [18,19]), and burial period [20,21] have been investigated since these have been suggested to have a significant role in the CC [22]. The experimental and controlled burning of archaeological human bones and of identified skeletons from the Coimbra 21st century identified skeletal collection [23] allowed us to monitor all these variables and compare results between the two samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rather yield than break: assessing the influence of human bone collagen content on heat-induced warping through vibrational spectroscopy

et al. 2016

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Warping has been used to determine the pre-burning condition of human skeletal remains. In the literature, this modification has been associated more often with the burning of fleshed and green bones, but it also arises during the burning of dry bones. The objective of this paper was to assess if bone collagen content has a significant effect on the occurrence of warping in a sample of experimentally burned human bones. The presence of collagen was analyzed in two different samples through a vibrational spectroscopy technology-FTIR. One of them was composed of 40 archeological bones from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries AD. The other one was composed of bones from 14 skeletons belonging to the 21st century identified skeletal collection. The results confirmed that the amide I band assigned to the collagen was much more intense in bones presenting heat-induced warping. Nonetheless, although significant (p = 0.040), the collagen content was not as useful as other variables to the regression model we proposed for explaining warping. Factors such as the maximum temperature (p < 0.001) and burning time (p = 0.001) contributed more significantly. Results demonstrated that the mere preservation of collagen is not enough to explain warping. Burning dynamics seem to have an important role as well although we failed to clearly document its specificities. Other factors such as the asymmetric distribution of collagen and other components within bone, the gravity force, the shape of the bone, and the position in which it is burned may also play an important role on heat-induced changes and require further analysis.

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“…Therefore, an intricate collection of processes are necessary for the complete removal of the collagen content of an archaeological specimen in less than several thousand years. It has been shown that areas around cracked bone surfaces lose collagen much more rapidly than do non-cracked regions (Boaks et al, 2014;Trueman et al, 2004) . These cracks may be due to either taphonomic conditions such as gnawing or weathering, or from density mediated attrition, where less dense bones are more likely to crack over time (δyman, 2014) .…”

Section: Collagenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagenesis of archaeological bone and tooth

Kendall

Eriksen

Kontopoulos

et al. 2018

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

240

202

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An understanding of the structural complexity of mineralised tissues is fundamental for exploration into the field of diagenesis. Here we review aspects of current and past research on bone and tooth diagenesis using the most comprehensive collection of literature on diagenesis to date. Environmental factors such as soil pH, soil hydrology and ambient temperature, which influence the preservation of skeletal tissues are assessed, while the different diagenetic pathways such as microbial degradation, loss of organics, mineral changes, and DNA degradation are surveyed. Fluctuating water levels in and around the bone are the most harmful for preservation and lead to rapid skeletal destruction. Diagenetic mechanisms are found to work in conjunction with each other, altering the biogenic composition of skeletal material. This illustrates that researchers must examine multiple diagenetic pathways to fully understand the post-mortem interactions of archaeological skeletal material and the burial environment.

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The temporal degradation of bone collagen: A histochemical approach

Cited by 46 publications

References 39 publications

The effect of hydrochloric acid on microstructure of porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cortical bone tissue

The effect of hydrochloric acid on microstructure of porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cortical bone tissue

Rather yield than break: assessing the influence of human bone collagen content on heat-induced warping through vibrational spectroscopy

Diagenesis of archaeological bone and tooth

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