A finite element analysis for the prediction of load-induced fluid flow and mechanochemical transduction in bone

Steck, R.<sup>1,2</sup>; Niederer, P.<sup>2</sup>; Knothe Tate, M. L.<sup>3</sup>

Affiliations

¹Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Gloriastrasse 35, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

²AO Research Institute, Davos, Switzerland

³Department of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Research Center, ND20, The Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, U.S.A.

Abstract

Interstitial fluid flow through the lacunocanalicular cavities of mechanically loaded bone provides the biophysical basis for a number of postulates regarding mechanotransduction in bone. Recently, the existence of load-induced fluid flow and its influence on molecular transport through bone has been confirmed using tracer methods to visualize fluid flow induced by in vivo four-point-bending of rat tibiae. In this paper, we present a theoretical two-stage approach for the calculation of load-induced flow fields and for the evaluation of their influence on molecular transport in bone loaded in four-point bending, analogous to the aforementioned experimental model. In the first stage, the fluid velocities are calculated using a three-dimensional, poroelastic finite element model. In the second stage, mass transport analysis, this calculated fluid flow serves as a forced convection flow and its contribution to the total transport potential is determined. Based on this combined approach, the overall tracer concentration in the loaded bone is significantly higher than that in the unloaded bone. Furthermore, augmentation of mass transport through convective flow is more pronounced in the tension band of the tissue, as compared to the compression band. In general, augmentation of tracer concentration via convective mechanisms is most pronounced in areas corresponding to lowest fluid velocities, which is indicative of fluid flow direction and areas of increased “dwell time” or accumulation during the loading cycle. This theoretical model, in combination with the corresponding experimental model, provides unique insight into the role of mechanical loads in modulating local flow distributions and concentration gradients within bone tissue.

Links

DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.2003.3163

PubMed: 12468296

WoS: 000181037600009

History

Received: 2002-04-5

Accepted: 2002-09-11

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