Muscle contraction induces osteogenic levels of cortical bone strain despite muscle weakness in a mouse model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Mechanical interactions between muscle and bone have long been recognized as integral to bone integrity. However, few studies have directly measured these interactions within the context of musculoskeletal disease. In this study, the osteogenesis imperfecta murine model (oim/oim) was utilized because it has both reduced bone and muscle properties, allowing direct assessment of whether weakened muscle is able to engender strain on weakened bone. To do so, a strain gauge was attached to the tibia of healthy and oim/oim mice, muscles within the posterior quadrant of the lower hind limb were stimulated, and bone strain during muscle contraction was measured. Results indicated that the relationship between maximum muscle torque and maximum engendered strain is altered in oim/oim bone, with less torque required to engender strain compare to wild-type and heterozygous mice. Maximum muscle torque at 150 Hz stimulation frequency was able to engender ~1500 μɛ in oim/oim animals. However, even though the strain engendered in the oim/oim mice was high relative to historical bone formation thresholds, the maximum strain values were still significantly lower than that of the wild-type mice. These results are promising in that they suggest that muscle stimulation may be a viable means of inducing bone formation in oim/oim and potentially other disease models where muscle weakness/atrophy exist.