Effect of calcitonin on total body bone mineral contents of experimental osteoporotic rats determined by dual photon absorptiometry.

Total body bone mineral (TBBM) content in rats was measured by dual photon absorptiometry (DPA). TBBM showed significant increases over 4 weeks in control groups with significant bone loss over the same time in prednisolone-injected rats on low calcium feed. Daily injections of calcitonin significantly reduced loss of bone mass. Both prednisolone- and prednisolone-calcitonin-injected groups showed significantly elevated serum alkaline phosphatase with the prednisolone-calcitonin group also exhibiting elevated serum calcium and phosphate levels, confirming the impact of the experimental protocol. TBBM measured by DPA in all groups correlated well (r = 0.928, P less than 0.001 n = 20) with the total ash weight suggesting that the method reflects total skeletal mineral content in the small animal. TBBM measurement by DPA proves well-suited to monitoring bone mineral in a small animal experimental setting.