Abstract:
Nanomechanical heterogeneity is expected to have an effect on elasticity, injury and bone remodelling.
In normal bone, we have two types of cells (osteoclasts and osteoblasts) working together
to maintain existing bone. Bone cancers can produce factors that make the osteoclasts work harder.
This means that more bone is destroyed than rebuilt, and leads to weakening of the affected bone.
We report here the first demonstration of the nanoscale stiffness distribution in bone metastases
before and after treatment of animals with the bisphosphonate Risedronate, a drug which is currently
used for the treatment of bone metastases in patients with advanced cancers. The strategy
used here is applicable to a wide class of biological tissues and may serve as a new reflection for
biologically inspired scaffolds technologies.
