Abstract
An analytical centrifugation technique (LUMiFuge) for mechanical testing is introduced. Measurements on calibrated springs with LUMiFuge and BOSE LM1-ElectroForce TestBench delivered similar values for E-moduli and spring constants. Native cylindrical scaffolds from cancellous femoral bone were successfully tested using this new technique. The E-moduli obtained for scaffolds with trabecular orientation parallel to the cylindrical axis (longitudinal trabeculae) were significantly higher than that of scaffolds with trabeculae perpendicular to the cylindrical axis (lateral trabeculae). The mean value of elastic modulus increased in dependence on the number of stress rounds from 37.3 ± 19.1 to 63.0 ± 24.2 MPa for samples with longitudinal trabeculae and from 16.0 ± 8.1 to 33.3 ± 13.8 MPa for samples with lateral trabeculae, respectively. We assume that due to the mechanical stress a not completely reversible structural displacement of trabeculae occurs, which results in more compact trabecular arrangement and increase of elastic modulus. The new analytical centrifugation technique offers advantages for characterization of mechanical properties of small bone samples. The method is relatively simple, allows simultaneous testing of several samples, non-destructive testing by application of low loads and can be used to follow the influence of repetitive stress on deformation and recovery of the bone.
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