Remodeling of bone and bones: effects of altered mechanical stress on the regeneration of transplanted bones

Abstract

We divided 116 rats weighing 50 gm into four groups with tails either left in situ or transplanted as follows: straight in situ: untreated controls; bent in situ: five caudal vertebrae (CV) in the loop; straight transplants: three CV skinned and transplanted autologously; and bent transplants: five CV skinned, bent to form a loop, and transplanted autologously. Tails were radiographed weekly up to 6 weeks and at 12 weeks, and microradiographic and histological studies were undertaken on selected specimens. At 12 weeks the bones in the apex of the loop of tails left in situ appeared bent with a straight-to-convex shaft on the outer side and a thicker, more concave one on the inner side. In the transplanted bent segments the bone shaft died and initially the reverse occurred: the outer shaft thickened and the inner resorbed completely. A new concave inner diaphysis then formed so that the bones in both instances were essentially similar in final shape. In the bent transplants the surviving osteogenic tissues regenerated and, adapting to the altered forces, formed a new bone shaft. This involved a change in the direction, amount, and nature of endochondral, periosteal, and regenerative growth and subsequent remodeling of bone. The results support previous observations that, within limits, the strain in the osteogenic envelope is an important factor in adaptation of bones to changing stress and that, where the envelope is deficient, the surviving tissues have the capacity to regenerate and repair defects in the bone so that it best resists the changing stresses applied to it.