Influence of cortical canal architecture on lacunocanalicular pore pressure and fluid flow

G.C. Goulet, D.M.L. Cooper, D. Coombe and R.F. Zernicke

Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 2008, vol. 11, issue 4, 379-387

Abstract: Bone is a dynamic tissue that undergoes structural modification in response to its mechanical environment, but how bone cells sense and respond to loading conditions remains incompletely understood. Current theories focus on strain-induced fluid flow for the primary means of mechanotransduction. To examine the influence of age-related cortical rarefaction on lacunocanalicular fluid characteristics, coupled fluid flow and mechanical computational models of bone specimens representing young, mid-age and aged samples were derived artificially from the same original micro-computed tomography image data. Simulated mechanical loading was applied to the bone models to induce pressure-driven interstitial fluid flow. Results demonstrated a decrease in pore pressure and fluid velocity magnitudes with age as a result of increased cortical porosity. Mean canal separation, as opposed to canal size, was implicated as a primary factor affecting age-related fluid dynamics. Future investigations through refinement of the model may implicate fluid stasis or inadequate nutrient transport experienced by osteocytes as a key factor in the initiation of cortical remodelling events.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1080/10255840701814105

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