Alcohol-induced bone degradation and its early detection in the alcohol-fed castrated rats.

The objective of this study was to examine alcohol-induced changes of bone in hormone-deficient males using the developed method. In the process of bone resorption, type I collagen crosslinking molecules, pyridinoline (PYD), are released into the circulation and cleared by the kidneys. (2)H(2)O as a tracer has been applied to measure the synthesis rates of slow-turnover proteins and successfully applied to bone collagen synthesis in our hormone deficiency rats. This study demonstrated for the first time, the early changes of the femur bone degradation in hormone-deficient male individuals, more influenced by alcohol through histopathological study, serum PYD assay, and (2)H(2)O labeling. We also observed that serum PYD was a sensitive pathological marker of bone degradation in castrated osteoporosis males and the unique features of (2)H(2)O labeling to measure the bone turnover collagen synthesis rates were excellent markers of bone degradation and aging.