Owing to the fixation, this osteoclast is slightly retracted from the spicule. A part of the osteoclast faces a depression of the spicule called Howship’s lacuna. Facing the bone and the calcified cartilage of the spicule, the osteoclast shows a ruffled border or a row of cytoplasmic processes which release lytic substances that dissolve both recently deposited bone and calcified cartilage.

Stain: H–­­E
Magnification: ×1000