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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1527800
This article is part of the Research Topic Biomechanical and Biomaterial Advances in Degenerative Diseases of Bone and Joint View all 11 articles

A rapid method for the preparation of an in vitro osteoporosis model of calf vertebrae: histological and biomechanical study

Provisionally accepted
Anli Shi Anli Shi 1,2Yijie Liu Yijie Liu 3Qiang Ma Qiang Ma 4Jiaxin Li Jiaxin Li 1Jiawang Fan Jiawang Fan 1Zhaohui Ge Zhaohui Ge 1,2*
  • 1 The First Clinical Medical College of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
  • 2 Department of Orthopaedics, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
  • 3 College of Basic Medical Sciences, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
  • 4 Department of Radiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Region, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In vitro biomechanical testing is crucial for the preclinical assessment of novel implant designs. Given the constraints of limited supply and high costs associated with human specimens, calf spines are frequently employed as surrogates for human spines in both in vivo and in vitro biomechanical studies.Methods: This study selected sixty spinal vertebrae from calves aged between 12 to 18 weeks.The specimens were randomly assigned to two treatment groups, A and B, each comprising 30 specimens. Group A served as the control without decalcification, while Group B underwent decalcification using an 18.3% solution of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid. The impact of decalcification was assessed through histological, imaging, and biomechanical analyses.The decalcification process took approximately two months, resulting in osteoporotic vertebrae with a bone mineral density reduction of approximately 50.89% compared to pre-decalcification levels. The bone microstructure was significantly altered, characterized by a decrease in trabecular thickness and number, and an increase in trabecular separation. Additionally, the Trabecular Bone Pattern factor and Structure Model Index separation increased. The modulus of elasticity, yield stress, and ultimate stress of the vertebral bodies were all reduced in correlation with the decrease in bone mineral density, demonstrating a strong correlation between these parameters.The data from this study indicate that the decalcification method is effective, capable of rapidly establishing an osteoporotic model suitable for biomechanical testing of clinical devices. This method offers the benefits of ease of operation, reliability, and a controllable degree of osteoporosis.

    Keywords: Osteoporosis, lumbar spine, Model, Histology, Biomechanics

    Received: 13 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Liu, Ma, Li, Fan and Ge. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhaohui Ge, The First Clinical Medical College of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.