Bone marrow

1. The term Bone-marrow & myeloid tissues are often used

synonymously.

2. Myelos means marrow is confined in the cavities of Bone
marrow in the postnatal life.

3. Normal Bone marrow is a cellulo vascular tissue, which is
semi fluid during life & it is found in cancellous spaces &
medullar cavity of bone.

4. Active Bone marrow in adult is estimated from 3.5 to 6.0
percentage of the body weight.

5. In the adult only about half of the marrow is in an active
state & another half is almost inactive.
Bone marrow types

1. Red bone marrow
2. Yellow bone marrow

Red bone marrow

1. It contain blood cells of all types along with their precursors, fat cells, blood vessels,
& frame work of reticulum.

2. This bone marrow has no lymph cells, red cells are actively manufactured here hence
the colour.

3. In fetal stage almost of all bones contain red bone marrow, but with advancement of
age this is gradually converted into yellow types.

4. In adults red bone marrow is found in vertebrae, sternum, ribs, skull, rounded ends
of the long bones &in nominate bones of pelvis.


Yellow bone marrow

Yellow bone marrow is consists of fat cells or adipose tissue, blood vessels, some reticular
cells & fibers.

Here red cells are not manufactured, & occupy the spaces where the red marrow is absent.

From birth onwards up to the 4
th
year all bones contain red bone marrow, by the age of 7
year the marrow becomes less active & it pale red in color.

Between the age of 10 to 14 years patch of yellow marrow appears in the distal ends of the
shafts of long bones & gradually extends on the both sides.

At the age of 20 years, the entire red bone marrow of the long bones is replaced by yellow
marrow expect the upper ends of the femur & humerus.

As the age advances yellow marrow proportionally increases, by the age of 70 y more than
half of the ribs, half of the sternum contains yellow marrow.

When there is a necessity of increased erythropoiesis, the yellow marrow is converted in to
red marrow, if necessity is still more intense; even liver & spleen start erythropoiesis in the
adult.
Functions:
Hematopoietic function:
Production of myeloid is the important function of bone marrow, it has been described that
red marrow is the active & has capacity of forming red cells as well as other cells.

In embryo & even in new born, only red marrow is formed, but in adult 50% of the red
marrow is converted in to yellow marrow.

All the red cells like erythrocytes, granulocytes, platelets, monocytes,& lymphocytes are
formed in red bone marrow.

Under certain emergency & anemic conditions fully mature or immature cells may released
in to the circulation.

Erythroclasia: (destruction of rbcs)
The place (bone marrow) where not only the blood cells are formed, but also the
abnormal, imperfect, damaged & aged RBCs are destroyed.

These cells are trapped & phagocytised in the microphages of the marrow, iorn content of
the hemoglobin of destroyed RBCs is split in to two compounds like hemisiderin & ferretin.

These 2 compounds are stored in liver, spleen & bone marrow for resynthesis of Hb, rest of
heam is converted in to bile pigments. (biliverdin & bilirubin)
Storage function:
Bone marrow is an important site for storage of iorn in the form of ferritin &
heamosederin coming from food sources & also from the destruction of RBCs through
phagocytes.

These stored iron are easily utilized for synthesis of haemoglobin.

Reticulo endothelial function:
Bone marrow play an important role in the inactivations of toxins or other toxic
substances of the body.

The free microphages of the marrow are increased during the invasion of toxins or
during rapid haemolysis where it destroy the toxins circulating in the blood.

Immunological function:
Regarding its immunological function, the marrow is not so competent as it is found in
spleen & lymph nodules.

Many have reported presence of lymph nodules in the bone marrow.
Osteogenic function:
All the three types of the cellular elements like oesteoclasts, osteocytes, &
osteoblasts, which take part in the formation of bone, are mainly formed in
the bone marrow.

All these three cells including endosteum blood vessels are found within
the bone marrow.

Connective tissue function:
Normally bone marrow contains different types of connective tissues
within it.

Due to its presence the bone marrow performs several functions
associated with the connective tissues.