Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation

Bone adapts according to the mechanical environment, and this adaptation can be visualized by altering its shape, size, and microarchitecture. Bone adaptation was recognized more than a century ago, with a description presented in The Law of Bone Remodeling. Furthermore, the conceptual model of “The...

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Main Authors: Chenlu Wang, Ruisen Fu, Haisheng Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Mechanobiology in Medicine
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949907025000038
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author Chenlu Wang
Ruisen Fu
Haisheng Yang
author_facet Chenlu Wang
Ruisen Fu
Haisheng Yang
author_sort Chenlu Wang
collection DOAJ
description Bone adapts according to the mechanical environment, and this adaptation can be visualized by altering its shape, size, and microarchitecture. Bone adaptation was recognized more than a century ago, with a description presented in The Law of Bone Remodeling. Furthermore, the conceptual model of “The Mechanostat” provides a quantitative relationship between the magnitude of bone tissue deformation (strain) and bone adaptive responses. However, upon maintaining a constant strain magnitude, various bone responses were observed experimentally under different loading parameters (e.g., frequency, rate, number of load cycles, rest insertion, and waveform). Nevertheless, the precise relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation remains unclear. Accordingly, we reviewed in vivo loading studies to determine the quantitative relationships between various mechanical signals and bone adaptive responses in various animal loading models. Additionally, we explored how these relationships are influenced by pathophysiological factors, such as age, sex, and estrogen deficiency. Moreover, mechanistic studies that consider cellular mechanical microenvironments to explain these quantitative relationships are discussed. A general formula that considers the bone adaptive response as a function of different loading parameters was proposed. This review may enhance our understanding of bone adaptation and offer guidance for clinicians to develop effective mechanotherapies to prevent bone loss.
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spelling doaj-art-d674cd83545d4c1d80b4ab838decd6c72025-08-20T02:59:52ZengElsevierMechanobiology in Medicine2949-90702025-03-013110011510.1016/j.mbm.2025.100115Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptationChenlu Wang0Ruisen Fu1Haisheng Yang2Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, ChinaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, ChinaCorresponding author. Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, 100 Pingleyuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100124, China.; Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Life Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100124, ChinaBone adapts according to the mechanical environment, and this adaptation can be visualized by altering its shape, size, and microarchitecture. Bone adaptation was recognized more than a century ago, with a description presented in The Law of Bone Remodeling. Furthermore, the conceptual model of “The Mechanostat” provides a quantitative relationship between the magnitude of bone tissue deformation (strain) and bone adaptive responses. However, upon maintaining a constant strain magnitude, various bone responses were observed experimentally under different loading parameters (e.g., frequency, rate, number of load cycles, rest insertion, and waveform). Nevertheless, the precise relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation remains unclear. Accordingly, we reviewed in vivo loading studies to determine the quantitative relationships between various mechanical signals and bone adaptive responses in various animal loading models. Additionally, we explored how these relationships are influenced by pathophysiological factors, such as age, sex, and estrogen deficiency. Moreover, mechanistic studies that consider cellular mechanical microenvironments to explain these quantitative relationships are discussed. A general formula that considers the bone adaptive response as a function of different loading parameters was proposed. This review may enhance our understanding of bone adaptation and offer guidance for clinicians to develop effective mechanotherapies to prevent bone loss.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949907025000038Bone adaptationIn vivo loadingAnimal modelsMechanical signalsOsteocyte
spellingShingle Chenlu Wang
Ruisen Fu
Haisheng Yang
Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
Mechanobiology in Medicine
Bone adaptation
In vivo loading
Animal models
Mechanical signals
Osteocyte
title Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
title_full Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
title_fullStr Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
title_full_unstemmed Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
title_short Toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
title_sort toward a clear relationship between mechanical signals and bone adaptation
topic Bone adaptation
In vivo loading
Animal models
Mechanical signals
Osteocyte
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949907025000038
work_keys_str_mv AT chenluwang towardaclearrelationshipbetweenmechanicalsignalsandboneadaptation
AT ruisenfu towardaclearrelationshipbetweenmechanicalsignalsandboneadaptation
AT haishengyang towardaclearrelationshipbetweenmechanicalsignalsandboneadaptation