Dexamethasone acts locally to inhibit longitudinal bone growth in rabbits.

Excess glucocorticoid is a potent inhibitor of epiphysial growth. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain this growth inhibition, including both direct local effects of glucocorticoid on the epiphysial growth plate and indirect systemic effects. Previous studies do not distinguish which of these proposed mechanisms is actually responsible for the growth suppression in vivo. To resolve this controversy, we developed a method for delivering glucocorticoid directly into the rabbit epiphysial growth plate and for accurately measuring the resulting epiphysial growth rate. Five-week-old male rabbits received a local infusion of dexamethasone phosphate (80 ng/microliters, 1 microliters/h) into one proximal tibial growth plate and an infusion of vehicle into the contralateral growth plate. Growth rate was determined by inserting metal pins into the bone immediately adjacent to the growth plate and measuring the change in distance between pins on serial radiographs. This method permitted growth rates to be measured over intervals as short as 3 days, with an error of approximately 5%. Local dexamethasone administration decreased proximal tibial growth rate by 77% compared with the contralateral vehicle-treated tibia (P less than 0.0001). We conclude that excess glucocorticoid causes a rapid potent inhibition of growth by a direct local action on the growth plate.