IBMS BoneKEy | BoneKEy Watch
Mechanical loading increases the mineralizing surface of bone
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2015.5
In this animal study, Birkhold et al. investigated the effective of cyclical loading on the left tibial bones of elderly, adult and young female mice. The structure of loaded limbs and non-loaded limbs in all three groups was assessed by in vivo micro computed tomography (micro CT).
Analysis of the data from the non-loaded limbs revealed that age-related loss of cortical bone was due to greater resorption of bone resulting in a reduced bone thickness. The surfaces of resorption and formation were very similar across the three groups.
The micro CT studies also demonstrated that mechanical loading of cortical bone has a greater impact on increasing bone formation than in reducing bone resorption. This appears to be due to an increase in the bone formation surface area after loading. It is notable that this effect occurred in animals of all ages, including the elderly group.
Editor’s comment: This study uses the principle of time-lapse to image, in vivo, the dynamic morphometry of cortical bone in the mouse tibia. The validated modeling kinetics in periosteal and endosteal surfaces suggests that resorption depth is preserved with age but that bone formation is modulated by mechanical loading. The recommendation is that clinicians advise patients to combine anti-resorptive therapy with exercise.
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