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Lacuna (histology)
	Section parallel to the surface from the body of the femur. X 100. a, Haversian canals; b, lacunae seen from the side; c, others seen from the surface in lamellae, which are cut horizontally.
	Nucleated bone cells and their processes, contained in the bone lacunæ and their canaliculi respectively. From a section through the vertebra of an adult mouse.
Gray's	subject #18 90

In histology, a lacuna is a small space containing an osteocyte in bone or chondrocyte in cartilage.

[edit] Bone

The Lacunæ are situated between the lamellæ, and consist of a number of oblong spaces. In an ordinary microscopic section, viewed by transmitted light, they appear as fusiform opaque spots. Each lacuna is occupied during life by a branched cell, termed an osteocyte, bone-cell or bone-corpuscle. Lacunae are connected to one another by small canals called canaliculi. A lacuna never contains more than one osteocyte.

[edit] Cartilage

The cells are contained in cavities in the matrix, called cartilage lacunæ; around these the matrix is arranged in concentric lines, as if it had been formed in successive portions around the cartilage cells. This constitutes the so-called capsule of the space. Each lacuna is generally occupied by a single cell, but during the division of the cells it may contain two, four, or eight cells. Lacunae are found between narrow sheets of calcified matrix that are known as lamellae (lah-MEL-le).

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.

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