Mechanostat parameters estimated from time-lapsed micro-computed tomography data of mechanically driven bone adaptation are logarithmically dependent on loading frequency.

Mechanical loading is a key factor governing bone adaptation. Both preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated its effects on bone tissue, which were also notably predicted in the mechanostat theory. Indeed, existing methods to quantify bone mechanoregulation have successfully associated the frequency of (re)modeling events with local mechanical signals, combining time-lapsed micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging and micro-finite element (micro-FE) analysis.

Tissue-Level Regeneration and Remodeling Dynamics are Driven by Mechanical Stimuli in the Microenvironment in a Post-Bridging Loaded Femur Defect Healing Model in Mice.

Bone healing and remodeling are mechanically driven processes. While the generalized response to mechanical stimulation in bone is well-understood, much less is known about the mechanobiology-regulating tissue-scale bone formation and resorption during the reparative and remodeling phases of fracture healing. In this study, we combined computational approaches in the form of finite element analysis and experimental approaches by using a loaded femoral defect model in mice to investigate the role of mechanical stimulation in the microenvironment of bone.

TRPV4 mediates cell damage induced by hyperphysiological compression and regulates COX2/PGE2 in intervertebral discs.

Background: Aberrant mechanical loading of the spine causes intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and low back pain. Current therapies do not target the mediators of the underlying mechanosensing and mechanotransduction pathways, as these are poorly understood. This study investigated the role of the mechanosensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) ion channel in dynamic compression of bovine nucleus pulposus (NP) cells in vitro and mouse IVDs in vivo.

Mechano-Regulation of Trabecular Bone Adaptation Is Controlled by the Local Environment and Logarithmically Dependent on Loading Frequency.

It is well-established that cyclic, but not static, mechanical loading has anabolic effects on bone. However, the function describing the relationship between the loading frequency and the amount of bone adaptation remains unclear. Using a combined experimental and computational approach, this study aimed to investigate whether trabecular bone mechano-regulation is controlled by mechanical signals in the local environment and dependent on loading frequency.

Effects of long-term in vivo micro-CT imaging on hallmarks of osteopenia and frailty in aging mice.

In vivo micro-CT has already been used to monitor microstructural changes of bone in mice of different ages and in models of age-related diseases such as osteoporosis. However, as aging is accompanied by frailty and subsequent increased sensitivity to external stimuli such as handling and anesthesia, the extent to which longitudinal imaging can be applied in aging studies remains unclear. Consequently, the potential of monitoring individual mice during the entire aging process-from healthy to frail status-has not yet been exploited.