Differentiating between orchiectomized rats and controls using measurements of trabecular bone density: a comparison among DXA, histomorphometry, and peripheral quantitative computerized tomography

The use of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in animals

The use of dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) to measure bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) is widespread in humans and has been adapted to animals because of the need to examine bone and body composition in longitudinal studies. In this review, the indications and techniques for DXA in small-sized animals (rodents, cats, and rabbits) and large-sized animals (dogs, swine, nonhuman primates, sheep, and horses) are discussed. Now that software has been developed for measuring BMD in small laboratory animals, the most frequent use of DXA in animals is in rats. An ultrahigh-resolution mode of acquisition is used for their small bones but also is necessary for other small-sized animals such as rabbits and cats. In larger-sized animals such as dogs, pigs, and sheep, software used in humans has been adapted successfully to measure BMC/BMD and body composition. The human spine and left and right hip protocols are adapted easily to animals of this size, and the software for body composition has been adapted to dogs. Measurement of bone mass around metallic implants is possible in animals and most studies have involved dogs. To ensure precision of DXA in the noninvasive measurement of BMD in animals, attention to positioning and ability of the operator to define the same region of interest using clearly defined anatomical landmarks on the scan image cannot be overemphasized. This is one of the essential requirements for successful densitometry in animals.

Treatment with growth hormone and IGF-I in growing rats increases bone mineral content but not bone mineral density

Human growth hormone (hGH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) both stimulate bone formation and have been proposed as therapeutic agents for osteoporosis. We examined the effect of hGH and IGF-I alone and in combination on bone size, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) in 10- to 12-week old growing female Sprague-Dawley rats. Sixty rats were assigned to treatment with either placebo, hGH, IGF-I, or both for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, the right femurs and tibias were excised, and ex vivo BMC and the area of the tibia and femur were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); volume of these bones was measured by Archimedes' principle. In addition, proximal tibial bone density was measured directly by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT). Bone length, area, and volume in all treated groups was greater than controls. Areal bone density by DXA (BMC/area) was higher in IGF-treated rats and lower in GH-treated rats than in controls. Volumetric bone density (BMC/volume) was lower in treated groups than in controls. Measurements by pQCT confirmed that true bone density was lower in all treated groups than in controls. We conclude that treatment with hGH or IGF-I increased bone size and mineral content but decreased bone density in growing rats. Because areal correction of BMC did not adequately correct for the increased bone volume in IGF-treated rats, results of areal bone density by DXA should be interpreted with caution when treatment causes a disparity in bone size between groups.