Bone adapts to habitual loading through mechanobiological signaling. Osteocytes are the primary mechanical sensors in bone, upregulating osteogenic factors and downregulating osteoinhibitors, and recruiting osteoclasts to resorb bone in response to microdamage accumulation. However, most of the cell populations of the bone marrow niche, which are intimately involved with bone remodeling as the source of bone osteoblast and osteoclast progenitors, are also mechanosensitive. We hypothesized that the deformation of trabecular bone would impart mechanical stress within the entrapped bone marrow consistent with mechanostimulation of the constituent cells. Detailed fluid-structure interaction models of porcine femoral trabecular bone and bone marrow were created using tetrahedral finite element meshes. The marrow was allowed to flow freely within the bone pores, while the bone was compressed to 2000 or 3000 microstrain at the apparent level. Marrow properties were parametrically varied from a constant 400 mPa·s to a power-law rule exceeding 85 Pa·s. Deformation generated almost no shear stress or pressure in the marrow for the low viscosity fluid, but exceeded 5 Pa when the higher viscosity models were used. The shear stress was higher when the strain rate increased and in higher volume fraction bone. The results demonstrate that cells within the trabecular bone marrow could be mechanically stimulated by bone deformation, depending on deformation rate, bone porosity, and bone marrow properties. Since the marrow contains many mechanosensitive cells, changes in the stimulatory levels may explain the alterations in bone marrow morphology with aging and disease, which may in turn affect the trabecular bone mechanobiology and adaptation.
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January 2015
Research-Article
The In Situ Mechanics of Trabecular Bone Marrow: The Potential for Mechanobiological Response
Thomas A. Metzger,
Thomas A. Metzger
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
Search for other works by this author on:
Tyler C. Kreipke,
Tyler C. Kreipke
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
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Ted J. Vaughan,
Ted J. Vaughan
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
National University of Ireland
,Galway
, Ireland
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Laoise M. McNamara,
Laoise M. McNamara
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
National University of Ireland
,Galway
, Ireland
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Glen L. Niebur
Glen L. Niebur
1
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
e-mail: gniebur@nd.edu
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
e-mail: gniebur@nd.edu
1Corresponding author.
Search for other works by this author on:
Thomas A. Metzger
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tyler C. Kreipke
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
Ted J. Vaughan
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
National University of Ireland
,Galway
, Ireland
Laoise M. McNamara
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
National University of Ireland
,Galway
, Ireland
Glen L. Niebur
Department of Aerospace
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
e-mail: gniebur@nd.edu
and Mechanical Engineering
and Bioengineering Graduate Program,
Tissue Mechanics Laboratory,
University of Notre Dame
,Notre Dame, IN 46556
e-mail: gniebur@nd.edu
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received June 26, 2014; final manuscript received October 30, 2014; accepted manuscript posted November 5, 2014; published online December 10, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Blaine Christiansen.
J Biomech Eng. Jan 2015, 137(1): 011006
Published Online: January 1, 2015
Article history
Received:
June 26, 2014
Revision Received:
October 30, 2014
Accepted:
November 5, 2014
Online:
December 10, 2014
Citation
Metzger, T. A., Kreipke, T. C., Vaughan, T. J., McNamara, L. M., and Niebur, G. L. (January 1, 2015). "The In Situ Mechanics of Trabecular Bone Marrow: The Potential for Mechanobiological Response." ASME. J Biomech Eng. January 2015; 137(1): 011006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4028985
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