Effects of hysterectomy on bone in intact rats, ovariectomized rats, and ovariectomized rats treated with estrogen

Rapid small-animal dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using digital radiography

Although dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is an established technique for clinical assessment of areal bone mineral density (BMD), the spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, scan time, and availability of clinical DEXA systems may be limiting factors for small-animal investigations using a large number of specimens. To avoid these limitations, we have implemented a clinical digital radiography system to perform rapid area DEXA analysis on in vitro rat bone specimens. A crossed step-wedge (comprised of epoxy-based materials that mimic the radiographic properties of tissue and bone) was used to calibrate the system. Digital radiographs of bone specimens (pelvis, spine, femur, and tibia from sham-ovariectomized [SHAM] and ovariectomized [OVX] rats) were obtained at 40 kilovolt peak (kVp) and 125 kVp, and the resulting areal BMD values were compared with those obtained with a clinical fan-beam DEXA system (Hologics QDR 4500). Our investigation indicates that the cross-wedge calibrated (CWC) DEXA technique provides high-precision measurements of bone mineral content (BMC; CV = 0.6%) and BMD (CV = 0.8%) within a short acquisition time (<30 s). Areal BMD measurements reported by the CWC-DEXA system are within 8.5% of those reported by a clinical fan-beam scanner, and BMC values are within 5% of the known value of test specimens. In an in vivo application, the CWC-DEXA system is capable of reporting significant differences between study groups (SHAM and OVX) that are not reported by a clinical fan-beam DEXA system, because of the reduced variance and improved object segmentation provided by the CWC-DEXA system.

The effect of low molecular weight chitosan on bone resorption in vitro and in vivo

We studied the effect of low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) on the formation of osteoclast-like multinucleated cells (OCLs) in the co-culture of mouse osteoblastic cells and bone marrow cells in the presence of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1alpha,25(OH)2D3]. LMWC at 440 microg/ml inhibited the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive OCLs induced by 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. We prepared OCLs in the co-culture of osteoblastic cells and bone marrow cells. The effect of LMWC on pit formation by OCLs was examined using dentin slices, and LMWC inhibited pit formation at 440 microg/ml. Oral administration of the LMWC to ovariectomized rats prevented a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar vertebra without affecting the body and uterus weights. These results suggested that LMWC prevented a decrease in BMD in vivo by inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption.

A role for interleukin-6 in parathyroid hormone-induced bone resorption in vivo

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) exerts its regulatory effects on calcium homeostasis in part by stimulating the release of calcium from the skeleton. PTH stimulates bone resorption indirectly, by inducing the production by stromal/osteoblastic cells of paracrine agents which recruit and activate the bone-resorbing cell, the osteoclast. The identity of the stromal cell/osteoblast-derived paracrine factor(s) responsible for mediating the effects of PTH on osteoclasts is uncertain. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), which potently induces osteoclastogenesis, is produced by osteoblastic cells in response to PTH. Further, we have reported that circulating levels of IL-6 are elevated in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, and correlate with biochemical markers of bone resorption. Thus, IL-6 may play a permissive role in PTH-induced bone resorption. In the current studies, we demonstrate that low-dose PTH infusion in rodents increased serum levels of IL-6, coincident with a rise in biochemical markers of bone resorption. In mice, both acute neutralization and chronic deficiency of IL-6 were associated with markedly lower levels of biochemical markers of bone resorption in response to PTH infusion than were observed in animals with normal IL-6 production. Acute neutralization of IL-6 did not affect PTH-induced changes in markers of bone formation. These findings demonstrate that PTH regulates systemic levels of IL-6 in experimental animals, that IL-6 is an important mediator of the bone-resorbing actions of PTH in vivo and suggest that IL-6 plays a role in coupling PTH-induced bone resorption and formation.