Fig. 1.

Group housing stimulates an adaptive osteogenic response, masking the effect of artificial loading, in the tibiae of male but not female mice. A: Representative μCT images of trabecular and cortical regions of the left control and right loaded tibiae in male mice. B: Representative 3D reconstruction of the mouse tibia; arrows indicate the direction of artificial loading. C & D: The effect of individual housing on the percentage change [(right–left)/left x 100], due to loading in trabecular (C) and cortical (D) bone compartments in male and female mice. Data represented as mean + SEM. BV/TV = bone volume fraction; Tb.Th = trabecular thickness; Ct.Ar = cortical bone area; Tt.Ar = total cross-sectional area inside the periosteal envelope. Asterisks indicate a significant difference due to housing within each sex: *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001. The apparent response to loading was reduced in grouped, relative to individual, male mice.