Effects of Mechanical Stimuli on Adaptive Remodeling of Condylar Cartilage

Trabecular bone has been shown to be responsive to low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimuli. This study aimed to assess the effects of these stimuli on condylar cartilage and its endochondral bone. Forty female 12-week-old C3H mice were divided into 3 groups: baseline control (killed at day 0), sham (killed at day 28 without exposure to mechanical stimuli), and experimental (killed following 28 days of exposure to mechanical stimuli). The experimental group was subjected to mechanical vibration of 30 Hz, for 20 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 28 days. The specimens were analyzed by micro-computed tomography. The experimental group demonstrated a significant decrease in the volume of condylar cartilage and also a significant increase in bone histomorphometric parameters. The results suggest that the low-magnitude, high-frequency mechanical stimuli enhance adaptive remodeling of condylar cartilage, evidenced by the advent of endochondral bone replacing the hypertrophic cartilage.