Expression of in vivo mechanical strain upon different wave forms of exogenous forces in rabbit craniofacial sutures

Sutures are fibrous joints between craniofacial bones, providing an interesting model for studying the biomechanics of the interface between soft and mineralized tissues. To explore whether different wave forms of exogenous forces induce corresponding sutural strain wave forms, sutural strain of the premaxillomaxillary suture (PMS) and nasofrontal suture (NFS) of New Zealand White rabbits (N = 8) was recorded upon application of static, sine- and square-wave forces against the maxilla from 1 N to 5 N in 1 N increments. The PMS demonstrated compressive strain, whereas the NFS tensile strain. Despite a tenfold difference in peak PMS strain (- 1451 +/- 512 micro(epsilon)) and NFS strain (141 +/- 39 micro(epsilon)) in response to 5 N cyclic forces, wave forms of exogenous forces were expressed as corresponding wave forms of sutural strain in both the PMS and NFS. Peak sutural strain was similar upon static and sine-wave cyclic loading. Thus, cells and matrix components of fibrous sutural tissue experience different wave forms of exogenous forces as corresponding wave forms of tissue-borne mechanical strain. Current craniofacial orthopedic therapies exclusively utilize static forces to change the shape of craniofacial bones via mechanically induced bone apposition and resorption. The present data provide room for exploring whether cyclic forces capable of inducing different sutural strain wave forms may accelerate sutural anabolic or catabolic responses.