Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Aug;95(2):125-31.
doi: 10.1007/s00223-014-9873-4. Epub 2014 Jun 3.

Reduced tissue-level stiffness and mineralization in osteoporotic cancellous bone

Affiliations

Reduced tissue-level stiffness and mineralization in osteoporotic cancellous bone

Grace Kim et al. Calcif Tissue Int. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Osteoporosis alters bone mass and composition ultimately increasing the fragility of primarily cancellous skeletal sites; however, effects of osteoporosis on tissue-level mechanical properties of cancellous bone are unknown. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans are the clinical standard for diagnosing osteoporosis though changes in cancellous bone mass and mineralization are difficult to separate using this method. The goal of this study was to investigate possible difference in tissue-level properties with osteoporosis as defined by donor T scores. Spine segments from Caucasian female cadavers (58-92 years) were used. A T score for each donor was calculated from DXA scans to determine osteoporotic status. Tissue-level composition and mechanical properties of vertebrae adjacent to the scan region were measured using nanoindentation and Raman spectroscopy. Based on T scores, six samples were in the Osteoporotic group (58-74 years) and four samples were in the Not Osteoporotic group (65-92 years). The indentation modulus and mineral to matrix ratio (mineral:matrix) were lower in the Osteoporotic group than the Not Osteoporotic group. Mineral:matrix ratio decreased with age (r (2) = 0.35, p = 0.05), and the indentation modulus increased with areal bone mineral density (r (2) = 0.41, p = 0.04). This study is the first to examine cancellous bone composition and mechanical properties from a fracture prone location with osteoporosis. We found differences in tissue composition and mechanical properties with osteoporosis that could contribute to increased fragility in addition to changes in trabecular architecture and bone volume.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box-and-whisker plots for a) Age, b) mineral:matrix ratio, c) indentation modulus, and d) hardness for the Not Osteoporotic and Osteoporotic groups.*indicates different from Not Osteoporotic, p ≤ 0.05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linear regressions of a) indentation modulus and b) hardness with tissue mineralization. Changes in hardness were not associated with changes in the mineral:matrix ratio, but the indentation modulus increased with increasing mineralization.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Linear regression of tissue-level mineralization as measured by Raman spectroscopy with age.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Linear regression of the indentation modulus with mineralization as measured by DXA.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Tai K, Dao M, Suresh S, Palazoglu A, Ortiz C. Nanoscale heterogeneity promotes energy dissipation in bone. Nat Mater. 2007;6:454–462. - PubMed
    1. Burge R, Dawson-Hughes B, Solomon DH, Wong JB, King A, Tosteson A. Incidence and Economic Burden of Osteoporosis-Related Fractures in the United States, 2005–2025. J Bone Miner Res. 2007;22:465–475. - PubMed
    1. Boutroy S, Bouxsein ML, Munoz F, Delmas PD. In vivo assessment of trabecular bone microarchitecture by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90:6508–6515. - PubMed
    1. Legrand E, Chappard D, Pascaretti C, Duquenne M, Krebs S, Rohmer V, Basle M-F, Audran M. Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture, Bone Mineral Density, and Vertebral Fractures in Male Osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res. 2000;15:13–19. - PubMed
    1. Gourion-Arsiquaud S, Lukashova L, Power J, Loveridge N, Reeve J, Boskey AL. Fourier transformed infra-red imaging of femoral neck bone: Reduced heterogeneity of mineral-to-matrix and carbonate-to-phosphate and more variable crystallinity in treatment-naïve fracture cases compared to fracture-free controls. J Bone Miner Res. 2012:n/a–n/a. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources