Reduced mechanical competence of bone by ovariectomy and its preservation with 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 administration in beagles.

To examine changes in mechanical competence of bone caused by ovariectomy, and to assess the effect of 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (24R,25(OH)2D3) administration on mass and structure, we conducted mechanical tests on canine lumbar vertebrae and femur 31 months after surgery. Beagles weighing 9-10 kg were ovariectomized (OVX) or sham operated (n = 3, group 1). OVX dogs were divided into three groups. Group 2 (n = 3) received only the agent vehicle, groups 3 (n = 4) and 4 (n = 4) received daily 24R,25(OH)2D3 doses of 2 and 10 mcg/kg, respectively from 1 month after surgery. In group 4, the dose level was increased up to 100 mcg/kg by the 17 month. Then, L3 and L4 vertebrae and left femur were excised from each animal. Torsional tests at the femoral diaphysis were conducted. On the L3 specimen, the circumferential shell was removed to obtain a cancellous core specimen. The shell was left intact on the L4 specimen. In compression tests, the loading was stopped just after maximal strength was reached for minimum specimen collapse, from which 7-mcm thick, undecalcified, midcross sections parallel to the base of the specimen were obtained. Neither femoral morphology, bone mineral contents (BMCs) nor structural stiffness indicated a significant difference among groups. Though L3 and L4 BMCs were reduced in group 2, in group 3 and 4 they were significantly larger than in group 2. Compression tests on lumbar vertebral specimens showed a significant decrease in mechanical parameters in group 2. On the cancellous core specimen of L3, the mean structural stiffness in group 2 was 31.8% of that in group 1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)