Table 3.
Key questions about LCS remodeling and future directions for research.
Key questions | Future directions |
---|---|
Does LCS participate in bone mineralization? | •How does the LCS affect primary and secondary mineralization? • Do mineral gradients near the LCS reflect tissue maturation? • How is mineralization around the LCS affected by aging and disease? |
How does altered LCS remodeling affect bone quality and tissue through whole-bone length-scales? | •Does the frequency of LCS remodeling change in health and with aging and disease? • Does tissue composition and mechanical properties vary between remodeling and non-remodeling lacunae and canaliculi? • Does LCS remodeling affect mineral and collagen turnover around individual osteocytes? • How are tissue toughening mechanisms are impacted by LCS remodeling? |
How should tissue composition and mechanical properties be assessed near the LCS? | •Do insufficiently high-resolution techniques result in ‘false negatives’ about material property gradation near the LCS? • How many lacunae/canaliculi per sample should be assessed to generalize LCS remodeling phenotype? |