Comparison of the electromechanical effects in wet and dry bone

Abstract

It has been proposed that the electromechanical properties of bone influence bone remodeling processes. In dry bone the electromechanical effect is known to be due to the piezoelectric behavior of collagen. However, there has been some question whether the stress induced voltages observed in wet bone are due to a piezoelectric effect. Evidence is presented which indicates that the magnitude of the signals observed in bent wet bone are several orders of magnitude larger than one would expect from a piezoelectric effect. This result, along with other experimental observations, implies that the electromechanical effect observed in wet bone is not a piezoelectric effect. Therefore it is suggested that two different mechanisms are responsible for the electromechanical effects in wet and dry bone.