Mechanical testing of bone: sample preparation issues

[Ashwij]

Hi all,

I am working on characterization of material properties of cortical bone and currently using rat models for my study. I have a few questions regarding sample preparation.

1. How does one remove soft tissues intact with the bone. While most of it can be removed by scalpel, how can one remove all the soft tissue apart from using certain enzyme solutions.

2.Forensic science uses detergent solutions or boiling as a method for the same. Do such methods alter material properties of the bone itself?

Can anyone help out with these issues?


All help appreciated!!!
Thanks
Ashwij

[Erik Cattrysse]

Re: Mechanical testing of bone: sample preparation issues

dear Ashwij, Using detergents or boiling will indead alter the constitution of the bone. Just because of death the overallbody fluid content already deminshes by several liters resp. kgs.
We prefer to use to bones after cleaning by scalpel and brush for use in crash tests. in this way the bone composition probably remains clost to the in vivo situation.
Erik Cattrysse (PhD)
Experimental Anatomy department
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)

[Karen Troy]

Re: Mechanical testing of bone: sample preparation issues

I would avoid detergents or boiling. Which specific bones are you examining? I'm assuming femur or tibia. Are you keeping them intact or looking at small specimens cut from the long bones? If the long bones are intact I would recommend carefully scraping as much as you can off with a scalpel and simply testing them. You can try putting them in an ultrasonic bath to clean them up a bit more, but that tends to be best for removing bits of marrow from cancellous bone, and is less good for removing muscle tissue.

A small amount of muscle on the surface is unlikely to affect your testing results unless the muscle is located directly where the bone contacts the testing fixture. This is because muscle is several orders of magnitude less stiff than the bone.

Hope this helps,
Karen

Hi all,

I am working on characterization of material properties of cortical bone and currently using rat models for my study. I have a few questions regarding sample preparation.

1. How does one remove soft tissues intact with the bone. While most of it can be removed by scalpel, how can one remove all the soft tissue apart from using certain enzyme solutions.

2.Forensic science uses detergent solutions or boiling as a method for the same. Do such methods alter material properties of the bone itself?

Can anyone help out with these issues?


All help appreciated!!!
Thanks
Ashwij