Physiological Loading-Induced Interstitial Fluid Dynamics in Osteon of Osteogenesis Imperfecta Bone

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as "brittle bone disease," is a genetic bone disorder. OI bones experience frequent fractures. Surgical procedures are usually followed by clinicians in the management of OI. It has been observed physical activity is equally beneficial in reducing OI bone fractures in both children and adults as mechanical stimulation improves bone mass and strength. Loading-induced mechanical strain and interstitial fluid flow stimulate bone remodeling activities. Several studies have characterized strain environment in OI bones, whereas very few studies attempted to characterize the interstitial fluid flow. OI significantly affects bone micro-architecture. Thus, this study anticipates that canalicular fluid flow reduces in OI bone in comparison to the healthy bone in response to physiological loading due to altered poromechanical properties. This work attempts to understand the canalicular fluid distribution in single osteon models of OI and healthy bone. A poromechanical model of osteon is developed to compute pore-pressure and interstitial fluid flow as a function of gait loading pattern reported for OI and healthy subjects. Fluid distribution patterns are compared at different time-points of the stance phase of the gait cycle. It is observed that fluid flow significantly reduces in OI bone. Additionally, flow is more static than dynamic in OI osteon in comparison to healthy subjects. This work attempts to identify the plausible explanation behind the diminished mechanotransduction capability of OI bone. This work may further be extended for designing better biomechanical therapies to enhance the fluid flow in order to improve osteogenic activities in OI bone.