Mechanical Properties of Compact Bone Defined by the Stress-Strain Curve Measured Using Uniaxial Tensile Test: A Concise Review and Practical Guide.

Che-Yu Lin,Jiunn-Horng Kang

doi:10.3390/ma14154224

Abstract

Mechanical properties are crucial parameters for scaffold design for bone tissue engineering; therefore, it is important to understand the definitions of the mechanical properties of bones and relevant analysis methods, such that tissue engineers can use this information to properly design the mechanical properties of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The main purpose of this article is to provide a review and practical guide to understand and analyze the mechanical properties of compact bone that can be defined and extracted from the stress–strain curve measured using uniaxial tensile test until failure. The typical stress–strain curve of compact bone measured using uniaxial tensile test until failure is a bilinear, monotonically increasing curve. The associated mechanical properties can be obtained by analyzing this bilinear stress–strain curve. In this article, a computer programming code for analyzing the bilinear stress–strain curve of compact bone for quantifying the associated mechanical properties is provided, such that the readers can use this computer code to perform the analysis directly. In addition to being applied to compact bone, the information provided by this article can also be applied to quantify the mechanical properties of any material having a bilinear stress–strain curve, such as a whole bone, some metals and biomaterials. The information provided by this article can be applied by tissue engineers, such that they can have a reference to properly design the mechanical properties of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The information can also be applied by researchers in biomechanics and orthopedics to compare the mechanical properties of bones in different physiological or pathological conditions.

Highlights

Bone is a specialized organ that provides several important functions for the human body, including supporting the entire body and internal soft tissues, supporting and protecting internal organs, assisting in movement with skeletal muscles, regulating mineral homeostasis, producing blood cells, and storing triglycerides for energy reserve [1]
Imbalanced bone remodeling caused by improper coordination between osteoclasts and osteoblasts can result in abnormal bone mass and quality, as well as bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteopetrosis [13,14]
The main purpose of this article is to provide a review and practical guide to understand and analyze the mechanical properties of compact bone defined by the stress–strain curve measured using uniaxial tensile test until failure

Summary

Introduction

Bone is a specialized organ that provides several important functions for the human body, including supporting the entire body and internal soft tissues, supporting and protecting internal organs, assisting in movement with skeletal muscles, regulating mineral homeostasis (especially for calcium and phosphorus), producing blood cells, and storing triglycerides for energy reserve [1]. In addition to the use of autografts and allografts, metal-based and ceramic-based implants are therapeutic approaches often used to repair bone defects [19] Their clinical application values could be limited because of their relatively low biochemical and biomechanical compatibility with native bones. The design of the hydrogel-based scaffolds must consider a Materials 2021, 14, 4224 number of key factors, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, chemical, compositional, structural and mechanical properties [18] These factors are all important for all tissue types, and must be carefully designed and tuned during the design and fabrication processes. In addition to being applied to compact bone, the information provided by this article can be applied to quantify the mechanical properties of any material having a bilinear stress–strain curve, such as a whole bone, some metals and biomaterials. The information can be applied by researchers in biomechanics and orthopedics to compare the mechanical properties of bones in different physiological or pathological conditions

Composition and Structure of Bone Tissue

Mechanical Properties of Compact Bone

Findings

Discussion