Numerical calculation of streaming potential around osteocytes under human gait loading.

Streaming potential is a type of stress-generated potential in bone that affects the electrical environment of osteocytes and may play a role in bone remodeling. Because the electrical environment around osteocytes has been difficult to measure experimentally until now, a numerical solid-liquid-streaming potential coupling method was proposed to analyze the streaming potential generated by bone deformation in the lacunae and canaliculus network (LCN) of the bone. Using this method, the cellular shear stress caused by liquid flow on the osteocyte surface was first calculated, and the results were consistent with those reported in the literature.

Experimental study on the coupling between the piezoelectric and streaming potential in wet bone.

The stress-generated potential (SGP) of bone is one of the mechanisms affecting bone remodeling including piezoelectricity and streaming potential. To explore the interactions between the piezoelectric and streaming potential, an experimental setup was designed that simultaneously applied a concentrated force and liquid pressure to wet bone. Using this device, the stress-generated potential of wet bone under the two types of loads was measured.

Experimental study of time response of bending deformation of bone cantilevers in an electric field.

Bone is a complex composite material with hierarchical structures and anisotropic mechanical properties. Bone also processes electromechanical properties, such as piezoelectricity and streaming potentials, which termed as stress generated potentials. Furthermore, the electrostrictive effect and flexoelectric effect can also affect electromechanical properties of the bone.

Stretched exponential relaxation of piezovoltages in wet bovine bone.

It is important to determine the amplitude and variation characteristics of piezovoltage in wet bone, which can, in turn, be taken as a basis for studying whether electrical signals induced by external forces can affect the growth of bone cells. This work measured the characteristics of piezoelectric effects under dynamic and static loading. The results show that the variations of piezovoltage in wet bone in both loading and load holding periods follow a stretched exponential relaxation law, and the relaxation time constants of the piezovoltages are much larger than those of dry bone.

Influence of shear stress on behaviors of piezoelectric voltages in bone.

The piezoelectric properties of bone play an important role in the bone remodeling process and can be employed in clinical bone repair. In this study, the piezo-voltage of bone between two surfaces of a bone beam under bending deformation was measured using an ultra-high-input impedance bioamplifier. The influence of shear stress on the signs of piezo-voltages in bone was determined by comparing and contrasting the results from three-point and four-point bending experiments.

On electromechanical behaviour of frog sartorius muscles.

Considering coupled electromechanical properties of biological soft tissues is an innovative characterization of most soft tissues, this paper reports our experimental observation on electromechanical properties of frog sartorius muscles including the experiment design, test sample preparation, test results and analysis. The experiment results indicate that the electric potential generated in the frog muscle tissues varies with external mechanical loadings. The electric voltage increases with an increase in the frog muscles deformation.