Fig 1.
Experimental design showing the creation of murine model of dietary vitamin D deficiency up to culling post mechanical loading.
Fig 2.
3D reconstructed images of μCT scanned mouse tibia–representative image from each group shown.
(a) trabecular region of loaded and non-loaded tibias of early life vitamin D deficient and replete mice aged 10 weeks. (b) mid cortical region of loaded and non-loaded tibias of early life vitamin D deficient and deplete mice aged 10 weeks. (c) trabecular region of loaded and non-loaded tibias of early life vitamin D deficient and replete mice aged 18 weeks. (d) mid cortical region of loaded and non-loaded tibias of early life vitamin D deficient and deplete mice aged 18 weeks.
Fig 3.
The effect of diet and mechanical loading on the cortical (a) total volume (TV), (b) bone volume (BV), (c) bone fraction (BV/TV), (d) cortical thickness, (e) cortical porosity and (f) marrow area, (g) trabecular bone fraction, (h) trabecular number, (i) trabecular thickness and (j) trabecular spacing at age 10 weeks age. Data are mean ± sd. *P<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001 by Student t-test (n = 6 mice per group for all measured parameters).
Fig 4.
The effect of diet and mechanical loading on cortical (a) bone fraction, (b) bone volume and (c) and marrow area at 18 weeks age. Data are mean ± sd. *P<0.05, ** p<0.01, *** p<0.001 by Student t-test (n = 6 mice per group for all measured parameters).
Fig 5.
False colour images for whole bone demonstrating the maximum and minimum principal strain at 10 and 18 weeks in previously in vivo loaded and non-loaded conditions under an identical load of 0.83N (n = 1 mouse per group).
Fig 6.
Early life vitamin D replete or deficient comparison of percentage of volume distribution of maximum principal strain distribution at 10 and 18 weeks for loaded and nonloaded bones (n = 1 mouse per group).
Table 1.
Biomechanical data from 3 point bending of mouse tibia for mice at 10 and 18 weeks.