Capillary network formation during tissue differentiation. A mechano-biological model

Abstract

Angiogenesis, the formation of new capillaries from pre-existing vessels, plays a critical role during bone regeneration and repair. In addition to an appropriate mechanical environment, sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients is critical for bone formation. Mechano-biological models have been previously used to predict the time course of the differentiation process with the mechanical environment as the only regulator of cell activity. Here we propose a mechano-biological model for tissue differentiation where cell activity is regulated by both the local mechanical environment and the local vascularity. Results show a significant effect of the morphology of the new capillary network on bone formation and heterogeneous distributions of cells similar to those seen in histological studies. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.