MECHANISM OF BONE RESORPTION IN LAYING HENS

The medullary bone in the femora of laying hens and of oestrogen-treated cocks has been examined by histological, histochemical, alpharadiographic and microroentgenographic techniques while undergoing both natural resorption and resorption induced by injection of parathyroid extract. In the hens, natural resorption was brought about by egg-shell formation and in the cocks by withdrawal of oestrogen. Natural resorption was accompained by increasing basophilia, azurophilia and metachromasia and by decreasing alpharadiographic and microradiographic density of the trabeculae of the medullary bone. These changes were observed initially in the central region (towards the marrow cavity) and subsequently in the peripheral regions also, where the number of osteocytes per unit area of bone was less. Parathyroid extract enhanced all these effects. It appears that resorption of medullary bone was brought about by osteocytic osteolysis and by osteoclasis, but it was not possible to determine whether both processes occurred concurrently or whether the osteoclasts attacked the trabeculae only after they had been partially degraded by osteolysis. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the natural resorption of medullary bone during egg-shell formation in hens and following the withdrawal of oestrogen in cocks is induced by parathyroid hormone. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.