Mechanical and geometric changes in the growing femora of BMP-5 deficient mice

We examined the growth-related changes in femoral geometry and torsional strength in BMP-5 deficient short-ear mice over a 22-week time interval ("long-term" changes). Four groups of female mice (n = 6 per group) were examined: short-ear animals and their heterozygous control littermates at 4 and 26 weeks of age. In agreement with findings previously observed in a mixed-gender group of adult mice (26 weeks), the femora of short-ear animals were significantly smaller in length and cross section at both ages. The magnitudes of the differences between genotypes were comparable at each age, indicating that the overall rates of appositional and endochondral growth were similar for both genotypes over the 22-week period. In the adult animals, short-ear femora were 27 +/- 7% weaker in torsional strength due to their smaller cross-sectional geometry. However, bone strength in adult short-ear mice appeared to be adequate for animal size: No significant difference was detected in maximum femoral torque when normalized by body mass. In 4-week old animals, BMP-5 deficiency was associated with a 27 +/- 6% lower body mass, but the torsional strength of the femur was not significantly different from that of controls. Cross-sectional geometry was smaller in 4-week old short-ear mice, but the apparent bone material ultimate shear stress was elevated by 33 +/- 10%, thereby resulting in a whole bone torsional strength equivalent to that of the larger control mice. While the data suggest a higher material strength in the 4-week-old short-ear animals, no significant difference in the level of bone mineralization was detectable between genotypes at either age.

Long bone geometry and strength in adult BMP-5 deficient mice

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play a critical role in early skeletal development. BMPs are also potential mediators of bone response to mechanical loading, but their role in later stages of bone growth and adaptation has yet to be studied. We characterized the postcranial skeletal defects in mature mice with BMP deficiency by measuring hind-limb muscle mass and long bone geometric, material, and torsional mechanical properties. The animals studied were 26-week-old short ear mice (n = 10) with a homozygous deletion of the BMP-5 gene and their heterozygous control litter mates (n = 15). Gender-related effects, which were found to be independent of genotype, were also examined. The femora of short ear mice were 3% shorter than in controls and had significantly lower values of many cross-sectional geometric and structural strength parameters (p < 0.05). No significant differences in ash content or material properties were detected. Lower femoral whole bone torsional strength was due to the smaller cross-sectional geometry (16% smaller section modulus) in the short ear mice. The diminished cross-sectional geometry may be commensurate with lower levels of in vivo loading, as reflected by body mass (-8%) and quadriceps mass (-11%). While no significant gender differences were found in whole bone strength or cross-sectional geometry, males had significantly greater body mass (+18%) and quadriceps mass (+15%) and lower tibio-fibular ash content (-3%). The data suggest that adult female mice have a more robust skeleton than males, relative to in vivo mechanical demands. Furthermore, although the bones of short ear mice are smaller and weaker than in control animals, they appear to be biomechanically appropriate for the in vivo mechanical loads that they experience.

Bone strain gage data and theoretical models of functional adaptation

The in vivo implantation of strain gages on the surface of bones has proven to be a very useful technique for studying the relationship between in vivo loading and bone growth and adaptation. However, data from such experiments have yet to be well incorporated within the context of theoretical models of bone adaptation. Methods for analyzing bone rosette strain gage recordings within the framework of strain energy density-based computational modeling/remodeling theories are presented. A new strain energy density based parameter, energy equivalent strain, is proposed as a single scalar measure of cyclic strain magnitudes and the concept of a daily strain stimulus is also introduced. As an illustrative example, the approach is applied to analyze previously reported in vivo data from the anteromedial human tibia (Lanyon et al., 1975, Acta orthop. Scand. 46, 256-268).