Applications of atomic force microscopy for the assessment of nanoscale morphological and mechanical properties of bone

Wallace, Joseph M.

doi:10.1016/j.bone.2011.11.008

Cited by 66 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Experimental validation of the mechanical properties of bone at the nanoscale is also very challenging. Relevant experimental studies include atomic force microscopy measurements combined with electron microscopy imaging (SEM and TEM) (e.g., [58][59][60]) and tests on micropillars of bone at a µm scale [61][62][63]. Theoretical models can give valuable insights on bone's response at the nanoscale and the structure-property relations of bone in general.…”

Section: Modeling Of Bone At Nanoscale Various Geometric Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ultrastructure of Bone and Its Relevance to Mechanical Properties

2017

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Bone is a biologically generated composite material comprised of two major structural components: crystals of apatite and collagen fibrils. Computational analysis of the mechanical properties of bone must make assumptions about the geometric and topological relationships between these components. Recent transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies of samples of bone prepared using ion milling methods have revealed important previously unrecognized features in the ultrastructure of bone. These studies show that most of the mineral in bone lies outside the fibrils and is organized into elongated plates 5 nanometers (nm) thick, ∼80 nm wide and hundreds of nm long. These so-called mineral lamellae (MLs) are mosaics of single 5 nm-thick, 20-50 nm wide crystals bonded at their edges. MLs occur either stacked around the 50 nm-diameter collagen fibrils, or in parallel stacks of 5 or more MLs situated between fibrils. About 20% of mineral is in gap zones within the fibrils. MLs are apparently glued together into mechanically coherent stacks which break across the stack rather than delaminating. ML stacks should behave as cohesive units during bone deformation. Finite element computations of mechanical properties of bone show that the model including such features generates greater stiffness and strength than are obtained using conventional models in which most of the mineral, in the form of isolated crystals, is situated inside collagen fibrils.

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Section: Modeling Of Bone At Nanoscale Various Geometric Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ultrastructure of Bone and Its Relevance to Mechanical Properties

2017

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“…Moreover, AFM probes the surface of materials, and can thus provide only 2D information on the organization of the ultrastructure. This is why AFM's numerous applications in bone research [253,254] have been mainly focused on the study of its mechanical properties at a tissue [255][256][257] and single fibril level [258][259][260], while very few studies have investigated the organization of the mineralized collagen fibrils [261,262] ( figure 15). However, similarly to TEM, AFM has been extensively used to examine bone features at the nanometre scale, such as the size of mineral platelets [13,264], collagen fibril characteristics (e.g.…”

Section: Other Imaging Techniques 2341 Atomic Force Microscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Techniques to assess bone ultrastructure organization: orientation and arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils

Georgiadis

Müller

Schneider

2016

J. R. Soc. Interface.

113

100

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Bone's remarkable mechanical properties are a result of its hierarchical structure. The mineralized collagen fibrils, made up of collagen fibrils and crystal platelets, are bone's building blocks at an ultrastructural level. The organization of bone's ultrastructure with respect to the orientation and arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils has been the matter of numerous studies based on a variety of imaging techniques in the past decades. These techniques either exploit physical principles, such as polarization, diffraction or scattering to examine bone ultrastructure orientation and arrangement, or directly image the fibrils at the sub-micrometre scale. They make use of diverse probes such as visible light, X-rays and electrons at different scales, from centimetres down to nanometres. They allow imaging of bone sections or surfaces in two dimensions or investigating bone tissue truly in three dimensions, in vivo or ex vivo, and sometimes in combination with in situ mechanical experiments. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss this broad range of imaging techniques and the different modalities of their use, in order to discuss their advantages and limitations for the assessment of bone ultrastructure organization with respect to the orientation and arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils.

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“…57,58 A distribution of D-spacings has only recently been reported with significant connections to bone diseases and bone tissue micro-architecture. [10][11][12]27,37,39,40,59 For now, our understanding of the origin and functions of a collagen D-spacing distribution is limited, potential biological and molecular bases for the D-spacing distribution are discussed in this section.…”

Section: The Origin Of Collagen D-spacing Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in type I collagen fibril nanomorphology: the significance and origin

Fang¹,

Holl²

2013

BoneKEy Reports

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Although the axial D-periodic spacing is a well-recognized nanomorphological feature of type I collagen fibrils, the existence of a distribution of values has been largely overlooked since its discovery seven decades ago. Studies based on single fibril measurements occasionally noted variation in D-spacing values, but accredited it with no biological significance. Recent quantitative characterizations supported that a 10-nm collagen D-spacing distribution is intrinsic to collagen fibrils in various tissues as well as in vitro self-assembly of reconstituted collagen. In addition, the distribution is altered in Osteogenesis Imperfecta and long-term estrogen deprivation. Bone collagen is organized into lamellar sheets of bundles at the micro-scale, and D-spacings within a bundle of a lamella are mostly identical, whereas variations among different bundles contribute to the full-scale distribution. This seems to be a very general phenomenon for the protein as the same type of D-spacing/bundle organization is observed for dermal and tendon collagen. More research investigation of collagen nanomorphology in connection to bone biology is required to fully understand these new observations. Here we review the data demonstrating the existence of a D-spacing distribution, the impact of disease on the distribution and possible explanations for the origin of D-spacing variations based on various collagen fibrillogenesis models.

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Applications of atomic force microscopy for the assessment of nanoscale morphological and mechanical properties of bone

Cited by 66 publications

References 58 publications

The Ultrastructure of Bone and Its Relevance to Mechanical Properties

The Ultrastructure of Bone and Its Relevance to Mechanical Properties

Techniques to assess bone ultrastructure organization: orientation and arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils

Variation in type I collagen fibril nanomorphology: the significance and origin

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