Question

What is Piezoelectricity and what role does it play in bone healing and remodeling?

Answer 1

Piezoelectricity was discovered in 1880 by Jacques and Pierre Curie. Piezoelectricity is the electric charge, which accumulates in many solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress such as bone, DNA, various proteins, ceramics, and crystals etc. The “piezoelectricity” word originated from Greek, “piezein” means to squeeze or press and “electron” which means amber which is an ancient source of electric charge.

Bone is constantly being formed and resorbed through a process called bone remodeling. Bone growth occurs if calcified matrix formed faster than it is resorbed. During resorption, the older bone tissue is removed by osteoclasts. Followed by resorption, new bone tissue is laid down to replace the old by osteoblasts.

Bone healing is a physiological proliferative process in which the body carries out the repair of a bone fracture.

Bone will grow, build, adapt, transform, and remodel due to enormous stress or force. Bone remodeling governed by a feedback system in which the bone cells such as osteoclasts and osteoblasts sense the state of stress or strain in the bone matrix and either add or remove bone as needed to maintain the strain within normal limits. Bone cells are extremely sensitive to mechanical stress, a quality that is linked to the process of mechanical adaptation. Piezoelectricity generates electric fields in response to mechanical stress is the part of the feedback circuit or loop by which the cells sense the strain field and remodels or heals the bone matrix.