Physiological silicon incorporation into bone mineral requires orthosilicic acid metabolism to SiO₄⁴.

ABSTRACT: Under physiological conditions, the predominant form of bioavailable silicon (Si) is orthosilicic acid (OSA). In this study, given Si's recognized positive effect on bone growth and integrity, we examined the chemical form and position of this natural Si source in the inorganic bone mineral hydroxyapatite (HA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) of rat tibia bone mineral showed that the mineral phase was similar to that of phase-pure HA. However, theoretical XRD patterns revealed that at the levels found in bone, the 'Si effect' would be virtually undetectable. Thus we used first principles density functional theory calculations to explore the energetic and geometric consequences of substituting OSA into a large HA model. Formation energy analysis revealed that OSA is not favourable as a neutral inte

SUBMITTER: Chappell HF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7328383 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature