Huang Xiaowei, Nussler Andreas K, Reumann Marie K, Augat Peter, Menger Maximilian M, Ghallab Ahmed, Hengstler Jan G, Histing Tina, Ehnert Sabrina
Siegfried Weller Research Institute, BG Unfallklinik Tübingen, Department of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2022 Jul 25;9(8):337. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering9080337.
Bone mechanical properties are classically determined by biomechanical tests, which normally destroy the bones and disable further histological or molecular analyses. Thus, obtaining biomechanical data from bone usually requires an additional group of animals within the experimental setup. Finite element models (FEMs) may non-invasively and non-destructively simulate mechanical characteristics based on material properties. The present study aimed to establish and validate an FEM to predict the mechanical properties of mice tibiae. The FEM was established based on µCT (micro-Computed Tomography) data of 16 mouse tibiae. For validating the FEM, simulated parameters were compared to biomechanical data obtained from 3-point bending tests of the identical bones. The simulated and the measured parameters correlated well for bending stiffness (R2 = 0.9104, p < 0.0001) and yield displacement (R2 = 0.9003, p < 0.0001). The FEM has the advantage that it preserves the bones’ integrity, which can then be used for other analytical methods. By eliminating the need for an additional group of animals for biomechanical tests, the established FEM can contribute to reducing the number of research animals in studies focusing on bone biomechanics. This is especially true when in vivo µCT data can be utilized where multiple bone scans can be performed with the same animal at different time points. Thus, by partially replacing biomechanical experiments, FEM simulations may reduce the overall number of animals required for an experimental setup investigating bone biomechanics, which supports the 3R (replace, reduce, and refine) principle.
骨力学性能传统上是通过生物力学测试来确定的，而这种测试通常会破坏骨骼，使进一步的组织学或分子分析无法进行。因此，要从骨骼获取生物力学数据通常需要在实验设置中额外增加一组动物。有限元模型（FEM）可以基于材料特性非侵入性且无损地模拟力学特性。本研究旨在建立并验证一个有限元模型来预测小鼠胫骨的力学性能。该有限元模型是基于16只小鼠胫骨的µCT（显微计算机断层扫描）数据建立的。为了验证该有限元模型，将模拟参数与从相同骨骼的三点弯曲试验获得的生物力学数据进行了比较。对于弯曲刚度（R2 = 0.9104，p < 0.0001）和屈服位移（R2 = 0.9003，p < 0.0001），模拟参数与测量参数具有良好的相关性。有限元模型的优点是它能保持骨骼的完整性，随后可用于其他分析方法。通过消除对额外一组用于生物力学测试的动物的需求，所建立的有限元模型有助于减少专注于骨生物力学研究中的实验动物数量。当可以利用体内µCT数据，即可以在不同时间点对同一只动物进行多次骨骼扫描时，情况尤其如此。因此，通过部分替代生物力学实验，有限元模型模拟可以减少研究骨生物力学的实验设置所需的动物总数，这支持了3R（替代、减少和优化）原则。
