SAT190 The Effect Of Mechanical Loading On Bone Growth Ex Vivo

Disclosure: T. Aeppli: None. Z. Zhang: None. F. Zaman: None. L.S. Savendahl: None. Background: Bone growth is a multi-step process that involves proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes within the growth plate. Apart from local regulation by various signaling pathways, chondrocytes respond also to external cues such as nutrition, inflammation and mechanical load that may increase or stunt growth. The Hueuter and Volkmann law describes the effect of mechanical loading on bone growth stating that bone growth is inhibited by increased mechanical compression and is promoted by reduced loading. To this date, no data is available investigating the local effects of mechanical loading on bone growth in the absence of systemic growth factors in small embryonic bones. Aim: The aim was to study the effects of mechanical loading on bone growth in an ex vivo bone culture model. Methods: Cultured femur and metatarsal bones from rats (E19.5) were studied and local/direct effects of mechanical loading on bone growth were investigated. A range of different mechanical forces was applied to femur and metatarsal bones every 2-3 days. To monitor bone growth, digital pictures were taken and bone length was measured every 2-3 days. The loaded bones were compared to control bones (sham-loaded). Results: When applying different mechanical load to metatarsal bones, bone growth was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner. On day 5, after applying mechanical loading (0.4 N) twice on day 0 and 2, metatarsal bone growth was significantly suppressed when compared to unloaded control bones (p<0.05). In contrast, when mechanical loading was applied repetitively to femur bones, bone growth was significantly stimulated (p<0.001) when compared to unloaded control bones. Conclusion: In conclusion, depending on the type of bone (embryonic rat metatarsal bone and the larger rat femur bone) mechanical loading exerts opposite effects on bone growth in an ex vivo culture model. The effect of mechanical loading on bone growth requires further in vivo investigations to increase our understanding on the role of mechanical loading in different bones and bone growth disorders. Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023