Anatomical sensation New blood vessel system discovered within the bones

For centuries overlooked network of blood vessels

The organs of the human body are widely known - one would think. But a German research team recently discovered a previously unknown system of fine blood vessels within our bones, which connects the bone marrow with the periosteum.

Researchers from the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), the University Hospital Essen as well as research institutions in Erlangen, Jena, Berlin, Dresden and Bern discovered in a joint research project under the direction of Professor Dr. med. Matthias Gunzer and dr. Anja Hasenberg a hitherto unknown blood vessel system in our bones. The research results were recently published in the renowned journal "Nature Metabolism".

Long inconsistency solved

"Every organ needs a closed bloodstream," Dr. Anika Grüneboom from the University Hospital Erlangen. While fresh blood flows into the organ via arteries, the spent blood is transported out of the veins. How this works for the very hard bones has been largely unknown. This mystery has now been revealed by the research team. The inside of the bone in which the bone marrow is located, as well as the periosteum, is criss-crossed with a dense network of blood-promoting vessels.

Most of the blood flows through the bones!

The research group discovered thousands of previously undocumented blood vessels in mouse bones. According to the study, this system runs through the entire skeleton. The researchers named the system "transcortical vessels". The fascinating thing about the discovery is that, according to the study, this unknown system is supposed to promote more blood than the known arterial and venous blood vessels.

Previous assumptions incorrect

"The previous concepts described only a few arterial inflows and two venous drains in bone," said Professor Gunzer in a press release on the study results. This does not reflect the natural situation in any way. It is amazing how in the 21st century new anatomical structures of such dimensions can be found that have not yet appeared in any single textbook, according to the professor.

Latest technology led to the discovery

This discovery was made possible only by the use of modern technology such as the so-called light sheet microscopy and the ultra-high-resolution 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. "Many of these were used by us for the first time to study the blood flow in bones," says Gunzer. The team showed in further investigations that these transcortical vessels also occur in human bones. For the investigation, study director Gunzer even placed himself under the 7 Tesla MRI scanners.

What does this new discovery mean for medicine?

The role of transcortical vessels in normal bone physiology has now to be investigated in further studies. The researchers expect that this discovery will lead in the future to new knowledge and treatments for certain bone diseases such as osteoporosis or bone cancer. (Vb)