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Dynamic permeability of the lacunar–canalicular system in human cortical bone

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Abstract

A new method for the experimental determination of the permeability of a small sample of a fluid-saturated hierarchically structured porous material is described and applied to the determination of the lacunar–canalicular permeability \((K_\mathrm{LC})\) in bone. The interest in the permeability of the lacunar–canalicular pore system (LCS) is due to the fact that the LCS is considered to be the site of bone mechanotransduction due to the loading-driven fluid flow over cellular structures. The permeability of this space has been estimated to be anywhere from \(10^{-17}\;\) to \(10^{-25}\; \hbox {m}^{2}\). However, the vascular pore system and LCS are intertwined, rendering the permeability of the much smaller-dimensioned LCS challenging to measure. In this study, we report a combined experimental and analytical approach that allowed the accurate determination of the \(K_\mathrm{LC}\) to be on the order of \(10^{-22}\; \hbox {m}^{2}\) for human osteonal bone. It was found that the \(K_\mathrm{LC}\) has a linear dependence on loading frequency, decreasing at a rate of \(2 \times 10^{-24}\; \hbox {m}^{2}\)/Hz from 1 to 100 Hz, and using the proposed model, the porosity alone was able to explain 86 % of the \(K_\mathrm{LC}\) variability.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NSF (PHY-0848491, CMMI-1333560, MRI-0723027, and 1229449), NIH/NIA (AG34198), PSC-CUNY Research Award Program of the City University of New York and by a fellowship from the CUNY Graduate Center.

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All authors state that they have no conflicts of interest.

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  1. M. Benalla

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8046, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, Steinman Hall, 160 Convent, New York, NY, USA

    M. Benalla, P. E. Palacio-Mancheno, S. P. Fritton, L. Cardoso & S. C. Cowin

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  1. M. Benalla
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  2. P. E. Palacio-Mancheno
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Correspondence to S. C. Cowin.

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Benalla, M., Palacio-Mancheno, P.E., Fritton, S.P. et al. Dynamic permeability of the lacunar–canalicular system in human cortical bone. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 13, 801–812 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-013-0535-7

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