In vivo efficacy of calcium phosphate-based synthetic-bone-mineral on bone loss resulting from estrogen and mineral deficiencies.

Osteopenia and osteoporosis affect over 40 million US adults 50 years and older. Both diseases are strongly influenced by estrogen and nutritional-mineral deficiencies. This study investigates the efficacy of orally delivered synthetic-bone-mineral (SBM), a newly developed calcium phosphate based biomaterial, on reversing bone loss induced by these two critical deficiencies. Thirty 3-month-old female rats were randomly allocated to either control-sham surgery on normal diet; or one of the four experimental groups: Sham surgery on a low mineral diet (LMD), ovariectomized (OVX) on LMD, OVX on LMD with SBM with/without fluoride (F). The rats were sacrificed after 6 months, at 9-month-old. After 6 months, although all groups lost bone mineral density relative to controls, the supplemented OVX rats showed higher bone mineral density than their unsupplemented counterparts. The 2 SBM supplemented groups improved bone loading capacity by 28.1 and 35.4% compared to the OVX LMD group. Bones from supplemented rats exhibited higher inorganic/organic ratios. The addition of F did not have a significant influence on bone loss. Our findings suggest that SBM supplement is effective in maintaining bone health and offsetting the deleterious effects of estrogen and/or mineral deficiencies on bone density, microarchitecture, and strength.