The effect of orchidectomy on bone metabolism in aging rats.

We have shown that orchidectomy in postpubertal 55-day-old rats led beyond 2 months to a decrease in bone growth and loss of weight. At 1 month postorchidectomy, we observed a three-fold increase in bone blood flow, an increase in calcium accretion rate, and an increase in the number of osteoclasts in the metaphysis. In the present experimental study, orchidectomy was performed in 1-year-old rats when bone growth in length was no longer measurable. In the tibia and femur we observed a decrease in bone volume, a still more rapid decrease of bone calcium during the first postoperative month, a thinning of the cortical width, an initial increase in calcium accretion rate (+20% when compared to 31 days controls) followed by a decrease at 120 days (-22% and -11% when compared to controls for tibia and femur respectively), a 29% increase in bone blood flow, and an increase in the number of osteoclasts. We conclude that androgen deprivation in young and old animals leads to a modified bone architecture, independent of the androgen impact on bone growth.