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Updated: Dec 21, 2025

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint
Published on: March 7, 2014
Computational Nanomechanics of Noncollagenous Interfibrillar Interface in Bone
Yang Wang1, Reza Morsali1, Zhengwei Dai2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
Abstract:
The noncollagenous interfibrillar interface in bone provides the critical function of transferring loads among collagen fibrils and their bundles, with adhesive mechanisms at this site thus significantly contributing to the mechanical properties of bone. Motivated by the experimental observations and hypotheses, a computational study is presented to elucidate the critical roles of two major proteins at the nanoscale interfibrillar interface, that is, osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OC) in bone. This study reveals the extremely high interfacial toughness of the OPN/OC composite. The previously proposed hypothesis of sacrificial bonds in the extracellular organic matrix is tested, and the remarkable mechanical properties of the nanoscale bone interface are attributed to the collaborative interactions between the OPN and OC proteins.
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