Estudio computacional de las microgrietas, la apoptosis y el envejecimiento en el remodelamiento óseo

Vera-Velandia, A. (Andrea) | 2014-04-23

A biological process of bone remodeling happens everyday naturally like an optimization process. Hybrid cellular automaton algorithm was developed to simulate this adaptative functional process at tissue level. In the hybrid cellular automaton algorithm, osteocytes are represented by an automaton that senses the mechanical stimulus. This methodology has been used to predict trabecular bone adaptation according to changes in the physic environment. Natural factors like microcracks, apoptosis, and cell aging are incorporated to the algorithm. To incorporate these last factors, preliminary studies of other authors are taken where microcracks are analyzed by fracture mechanics laws, also shear stress analysis to get apoptosis simulation and for the ageing is used a step function of the media density variation. Results show increments in strain energy and decrements in mass that is direct consequence of the stress concentration. In the same way, is observed that the structure can recover to the effects described, that agrees with the experimental studies of some authors.