Fluid movement in bone: theoretical and empirical.

Evidence from the literature and from our laboratory demonstrates a pronounced and rapid flow of fluids and associated solutes through the extravascular spaces in bone. Minutes after injection, large molecules such as ferritin and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been localized throughout the osteocytic lacunae and canaliculi of cortical bone in the chick, rat and dog. Patterns of marker movement preclude diffusion as the mechanism for solute movement and suggest a centrifugal bulk flow of fluids. We have developed a computer model of bone fluid flow that has led to the conclusion that the pattern and rate of fluid movement is governed by the pressure differential across the bone, the vascular architecture, and the porosity of the mineralized matrix. The validity of simulations in which a substance is injected and monitored over time has been tested by comparisons with actual injections of markers in the rat. Evidence is presented for a relationship between blood flow and bone dynamics in growth, repair and pathology of bone. We employed the tail suspension model of weightlessness in the rat to test the effect of posture on the perfusion of cortical bone using injections of HRP. Data indicated that perfusion of the femur was reduced by this treatment. We propose a "rheostat" mechanism, which suggests that bone perfusion may set limits for bone growth and remodeling. Therefore, bone mass reflects the ability of the vasculature to supply oxygen and nutrients to the cells on and within the mineralized matrix.