A Review of Mechanobiological Models of Bone Fracture Healing: Recent Advances and Future Directions (Review Article)

Rezvanifar, Yunus; Najafi Ashtiani, Mohammed; Rouhi, Gholamreza

doi:10.22034/ijos.2024.228696

A Review of Mechanobiological Models of Bone Fracture Healing: Recent Advances and Future Directions (Review Article)

Document Type : Review

Authors

Yunus Rezvanifar ¹

Mohammed Najafi Ashtiani ²

Gholamreza Rouhi ³

¹ Faculty of Mechanical engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

² Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijos.2024.228696

Abstract

Abstract
The healing of bone fractures is a multifaceted process that ultimately leads to the creation of new bone tissue. A significant factor influencing this process is the mechanical environment present at the site of healing. Computational models that employ mechanobiological algorithms are capable of simulating the impact of mechanical stimuli on the differentiation of stem cells into various tissue types during the bone healing process. This paper provides a review of the domain of computational mechanobiology, particularly concerning bone healing, and evaluates the existing mechanobiological models. Furthermore, it discusses recent developments and the current challenges faced in this area. Recently, there has been a growing interest in integrating mechanobiological algorithms with a more comprehensive depiction of cellular and molecular events. A primary challenge in this domain is the validation of these models through their comparison with experimental data. Such models can enhance our understanding of the bone fracture healing process and improve the design of implants and treatment analyses. However, existing mechanobiological models are still in their early stages and require ongoing updates and refinements to keep pace with the continuous advancements in the field of stem cell mechanobiology.

Keywords

Fracture healing

Mesenchymal stem cells

Finite element analysis

Bony callus

Subjects