Bone as a Renewable Electric Energy Source for Healthy and Active Longevity

Focus is on changes in the atomic-molecular architecture of cortical bone in newborn, adult and mature rats. Their analysis indicates that both its growth and aging are controlled not only by cellular effects, but also by the amount of electrostatic energy built-in the mineral matrix at the initial stage of biomineralization and by the subsequent negative charge transferring from the mineral and organic subsystems into the interstitial environment. An assessment of the embedded electric fields and electrical capacitance of nanocrystals in bone is proposed depending on its age. It is shown that bone is involved not only in mass transfer but also in intense charge transfer closely related to age-induced changes in the bone's atomic and molecular architecture. Taking them into account an electrophysical strategy for counteracting aging phenomena is proposed. The built-in electrostatic energy is regarded as a renewable source for healthy and active longevity. This strategy is based on the address and non-destructive accumulation of negatively charged particles in bone to slow down and restore its architecture and structure-functional properties.