Effects of alprazolam supplementation on vertebral and femoral bone mass in rats on strenuous treadmill training exercise.

The ability of alprazolam to diminish cortisol response and favor ovarian function could make it useful in the prevention of osteopenia in athletes in selected cases. A sample of 45 female Wistar rats, all 93 days old and with a mean initial weight of 267 +/- 17 g, were studied. Rats were exposed to a high-performance level of exercise and were divided into two groups-one group received an alprazolam supplement and one did not-and compared with controls to determine the effect of alprazolam on bone mass as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DKA). Exercise consisted of treadmill running on 5 out of 7 days during a period of 11 weeks. A steep grade treadmill inclination was used to stimulate high-intensity muscle activity. Final inclination was 17.5 degrees and treadmill speed was 45 cm/second. Upon completion of the experiment, all the rats were killed and the femur and 5th lumbar vertebra were dissected and cleaned. Length, weight, bone mineral content (BMC), and density (BMD) of the whole right femur and 5th lumbar vertebra were measured. In the exercise only group (no alprazolam), the length, weight, BMC, BMD, and femur BMC/final rat weight ratio of the femur, and the vertebral weight, vertebral BMD and BMC, and vertebral BMC/final rat weight ratio were lower than in the control and the exercise-alprazolam groups (P < 0.0167 - < 0.0001). Alprazolam preserves bone mass in rats exposed to intense exercise.