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Investigating bone resorption in Atlantic herring fish intermuscular bones with solid-state NMR
Hsin Wang1, Steve Falcoz2, Jorge Morales1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The City College of New York, 85 St. Nicholas Terrace, New York, NY 10031, USA. hwang1@ccny.cuny.edu.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|March 15, 2023
Summary
This study reveals that fish bone resorption involves collagen degradation and ion release into pore water, a process previously uncharacterized in fish. This research pioneers NMR techniques to investigate fish bone remodeling.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- NMR Spectroscopy
- Fish Biology
Background:
- Bone remodeling, involving resorption and rebuilding, is well-understood in mammals but not in fish.
- Understanding bone resorption in fish is crucial for comparative biology and skeletal health research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mobile phase of the bone vascular system in Atlantic herring intermuscular bones.
- To characterize the process of bone resorption in fish using advanced NMR techniques.
- To provide the first rigorous NMR-based investigation of fish bone remodeling.
Main Methods:
- Preservation of moisture in adult Atlantic herring intermuscular bones.
- Detection of pore water, soluble peptides, and inorganic phosphate using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
- Application of solution-state spinlock and INEPT techniques for collagen degradation analysis.
- Utilized saturation recovery experiments for 31P-NMR in the presence of solid hydroxyapatite.
Main Results:
- Detected high ionic strength pore water containing soluble degraded peptides with long 1H-transverse relaxation times (T2s > 15 ms).
- Unequivocally demonstrated collagen degradation using solution-state spinlock and INEPT NMR.
- Quantified substantial inorganic phosphate in solution via 31P-NMR, indicating ion release during resorption.
Conclusions:
- Bone resorption in Atlantic herring involves collagen degradation and the release of calcium and phosphate ions into pore water, increasing ionic strength.
- This study presents the first detailed characterization of the bone resorption process in fish bone microstructure using NMR.
- Pioneers the use of NMR for investigating fish bone remodeling, opening new avenues for skeletal research in aquatic species.
