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National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 51(117), p. 32251-32259, 2020

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011504117

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The mechanoresponse of bone is closely related to the osteocyte lacunocanalicular network architecture

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Significance The explanation of how bone senses and adapts to mechanical stimulation still relies on hypotheses. The fluid flow hypothesis claims that a load-induced fluid flow through the lacunocanalicular network can be sensed by osteocytes, which reside within the network structure. We show that considering the network architecture results in a better prediction of bone remodeling than mechanical strain alone. This was done by calculating the fluid flow through the lacunocanalicular network in bone volumes covering the complete cross-sections of mouse tibiae, which underwent controlled in vivo loading. The established relationship between mechanosensitivity and network architecture in individual animals implies possibilities for patient-specific therapies. A new connectomics approach to analyze lacunocanalicular network properties is necessary to understand skeletal mechanobiology.