Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Bone ultrastructural changes play an important role in osteoporosis, which is a determinative factor in bone fragility, thus, bone ultrastructural change can reflect osteoporosis.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of alendronate on the ultrastructural changes of distal femur cancellous bone in glucocorticoid (GC)-treated rats.
METHODS: Totally 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats, 3.5 months old, were randomized into 3 groups according to the following treatment schedule: control group: received subcutaneous injection of saline and intragastric administration of same volume of saline; model group: osteoporosis was induced by subcutaneous injection with methylprednisolone 3.5 mg/(kg·d); and intervention group: treated with methylprednisolone in combination with alendronate by gavage. Nine weeks later, the ultrastructure of rat distal femur cancellous bone was observed by a scanning electron microscopy.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared to the other groups, the number of bone trabeculae in the model group was significantly decreased and the bone trabeculae became thin, fragile, discontinuous, micro-damage increased and network structures of bone trabeculae were destroyed. Compared to model group, the number of trabeculae in the intervention group was increased, resorption surface was decreased and the collagenous fibers were arranged orderly. Alendronate can effectively improve the ultrastructure of distal femur callecllous bone in glucocorticoid-treated rats.