Effects of freezing and freeze-drying on the biomechanical properties of rat bone

The effects of various preservation techniques on the biomechanical properties of bone have been investigated in a rat model. Freezing of the specimens to -20 degrees C, -70 degrees C, and -196 degrees C did not adversely affect the strength of long bones tested in torsion or of vertebral bodies tested in compression. Freeze-drying did not markedly affect the compression properties of the vertebral specimens; however, it did produce a significant deleterious reduction in the torsional strength of the long bones.