I am very pleased to post that the book containing a chapter authoured by myself and others has been released. This book entitled "Cell Mechanochemistry. Biological Systems and Factors Inducing Mechanical Stress, Such as Light, Pressure and Gravity " focuses on different aspects of cell mechanochemistry, mechanosensing and mechanotransduction.
Mechanobiology of bone: From cell to organAviral Vatsa1, Theo H. Smit2 and Jenneke Klein-Nulend1
1Department of Oral Cell Biology, ACTA-University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam Research Institute MOVE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2Department of Physics and Medical Technology, VU-University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, Research Institute MOVE, Amsterdam The Netherlands
Abstract. Bone is a dynamic tissue that adapts its mass and architecture in accordance with the external mechanical loads, which it experiences during daily life. Bones mainta
in a balance of toughness and light weight by a process of repeated turnover, wherein old and/or damaged bone is resorbed from the areas which are mechanically ‘unloaded’ and/or damaged, and deposited in the areas that experience increased mechanical loading. This precise phenomenon is achieved by the concerted activity of osteocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts. Osteocytes sense the mechanical loads and transduce the mechanical signals into bio-molecules, which then orchestrate the activity of bone forming osteoblasts and/or bone resorbing osteoclasts. Recent years have seen a surge in the scientific efforts to better understand this intricate phenomenon of bone remodeling, both at the tissue level and at a single cell level. These new discoveries unravel the complexities involved in maintenance of bone physiology and hence pave a path in devising new therapeutic targets for bone repair and regeneration. In this chapter, we highlight the latest developments in bone remodeling and reflect on their connection with the historic perspective of bone adaptation to external mechanical loading.
