Histologic appearance of normal bone. (Left panel) Goldner Masson trichrome stain shows mineralized lamellar bone in blue and adjacent nonmineralized osteoid in red-brown. Osteoid usually comprises less than 25% of bone surfaces. The cellular area between the osseous structures is the marrow space. (Right panel) Villanueva-stained section viewed under polarized light following time-spaced tetracycline labeling. Osteoid appears orange, mineralized bone is green, and tetracycline markers appear as luminescent yellow-green bands within bone and beneath osteoid (arrow). The distinct dual bands represent active mineralized bone formation.
