Comparison of three-point bending test and peripheral quantitative computed tomography analysis in the evaluation of the strength of mouse femur and tibia.

We compared the mechanical and densitometric testing methods in evaluating the mechanical strength of mouse cortical bones. The femora and tibiae of 10 male mice (weight 32.8 +/- 4.0 g) were utilized. Volumetric cortical bone mineral density (vCtBMD), cross-sectional cortical area at midshaft (CSA), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI), and strength strain index (SSI) were measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). The precision of pQCT expressed as a coefficient of variation (CV) was 1.1%, 2.7%, and 6.4% for vCtBMD, CSA, and CSMI, respectively. The mechanical properties were measured by a three-point bending test. The method error measured from paired bones was 7.3%-10.1% for breaking bending force, 15.0%-15.2% for stiffness, 2.0%-2.4% for vCtBMD, 5.2%-6.4% for CSA, 13.5%-17.6% for CSMI, and 8.9%-18.1% for SSI. CSMI and CSA were found to be the best explanatory variables for the breaking force of femur and tibia, respectively, while CSA and CSMI were the best predictors for the elastic modulus of femur and tibia, respectively. CSA had a higher correlation with mechanical parameters than vCtBMD. On the basis of this study, the mechanical tests and the pQCT measurements are relevant in biomechanical studies on mouse bones and justify the use of the murine model. High-resolution pQCT gives better precision than the three-point bending test in studies of mouse bones.

[1]  P. Douglas,et al.  Treatment with growth hormone and IGF‐I in growing rats increases bone mineral content but not bone mineral density , 1995, Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

[2]  M. Perl,et al.  Structural alterations and breaking strength of mouse femora exposed to three activity regimens. , 1989, Bone.

[3]  D. Raab,et al.  Bone mechanical properties after exercise training in young and old rats. , 1990, Journal of applied physiology.

[4]  M W Luttges,et al.  The role of sex and genotype on antiorthostatic suspension effects on the mouse peripheral skeleton. , 1994, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine.

[5]  U Jonsson,et al.  Torsional tests of long bones with computerized equipment. , 1985, Journal of biomedical engineering.

[6]  J. E. Anderson,et al.  Recovery from disuse osteopenia coincident to restoration of muscle strength in mdx mice. , 1993, Bone.

[7]  T Jämsä,et al.  A cost-effective, accurate machine for testing the torsional strength of sheep long bones. , 1996, Medical engineering & physics.

[8]  V. Lepola,et al.  The effect of immobilization on the torsional strength of the rat tibia. , 1993, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[9]  R. Rizzoli,et al.  Transgenic mice expressing soluble tumor necrosis factor-receptor are protected against bone loss caused by estrogen deficiency. , 1997, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[10]  Tadashi Kaname,et al.  Mutation of the mouse klotho gene leads to a syndrome resembling ageing , 1997, Nature.

[11]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Interrelationships between densitometric, geometric, and mechanical properties of rat femora: Inferences concerning mechanical regulation of bone modeling , 1993, Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

[12]  L. Donahue,et al.  Genetic variability in adult bone density among inbred strains of mice. , 1996, Bone.

[13]  H. Notbohm,et al.  Fulvic acid supplementation and selenium deficiency disturb the structural integrity of mouse skeletal tissue. An animal model to study the molecular defects of Kashin-Beck disease. , 1993, The Biochemical journal.

[14]  T. Jämsä,et al.  The mechanical strength of bone in different rat models of experimental osteoporosis. , 1994, Bone.

[15]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Intravenous olpadronate restores ovariectomy-affected bone strength. A mechanical, densitometric and tomographic (pQCT) study. , 1995, Bone.

[16]  L. Claes,et al.  Prediction of fracture load at different skeletal sites by geometric properties of the cortical shell , 1996, Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

[17]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Mechanical validation of a tomographic (pQCT) index for noninvasive estimation of rat femur bending strength. , 1996, Bone.

[18]  C. Rimnac,et al.  Effect of abnormal mineralization on the mechanical behavior of X-linked hypophosphatemic mice femora. , 1995, Bone.

[19]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Interrelationships between geometric and mechanical properties of long bones from three rodent species with very different biomass: Phylogenetic implications , 1992, Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

[20]  L. Mosekilde,et al.  The effect of long-term exercise on vertebral and femoral bone mass, dimensions, and strength--assessed in a rat model. , 1994, Bone.

[21]  J. Broz,et al.  Effects of rehydration state on the flexural properties of whole mouse long bones. , 1993, Journal of biomechanical engineering.

[22]  D. Vanderschueren,et al.  Aromatase inhibition impairs skeletal modeling and decreases bone mineral density in growing male rats. , 1997 .

[23]  M W Luttges,et al.  The physical and mechanical effects of suspension-induced osteopenia on mouse long bones. , 1992, Journal of biomechanics.

[24]  M. Sato,et al.  Longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of raloxifene effects on tibiae from ovariectomized aged rats. , 1995, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.

[25]  E. Vuorio,et al.  A standardized experimental fracture in the mouse tibia , 1993, Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

[26]  A. Ekeland,et al.  Mechanical properties of fractured and intact rat femora evaluated by bending, torsional and tensile tests. , 1981, Acta orthopaedica Scandinavica.

[27]  D. Carter,et al.  Long bone geometry and strength in adult BMP-5 deficient mice. , 1995, Bone.

[28]  J. Gasser.  Assessing bone quantity by pQCT. , 1995, Bone.

[29]  R. Capozza,et al.  Long-bone biomechanics in mice selected for body conformation. , 1997, Bone.

[30]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Effects of on/off anabolic hPTH and remodeling inhibitors on metaphyseal bone of immobilized rat femurs. Tomographical (pQCT) description and correlation with histomorphometric changes in tibial cancellous bone. , 1995, Bone.

[31]  M. Osteaux,et al.  Cortical and total bone mineral content of the radius: accuracy of peripheral computed tomography. , 1996, Bone.

[32]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Dexamethasone effects on mechanical, geometric and densitometric properties of rat femur diaphyses as described by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography and bending tests. , 1995, Bone.

[33]  R. Jaenisch,et al.  Transgenic mouse model of the mild dominant form of osteogenesis imperfecta. , 1990, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[34]  C H Turner,et al.  Basic biomechanical measurements of bone: a tutorial. , 1993, Bone.

[35]  N. Dalén,et al.  Experimental measurement of maximum torque capacity of long bones. , 1976, Acta orthopaedica Scandinavica.

[36]  G. Beaupré,et al.  Improved method for analysis of whole bone torsion tests , 1994, Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

[37]  J. Zanchetta,et al.  Tomographic (pQCT) and biomechanical effects of hPTH(1-38) on chronically immobilized or overloaded rat femurs. , 1995, Bone.

[38]  J. Ferretti.  Perspectives of pQCT technology associated to biomechanical studies in skeletal research employing rat models. , 1995, Bone.