ABSTRACT
With the onset of menopause, reduced estrogen levels and insufficient calcium in diet create serious problems with resultant osteoporosis and fractures. Recent moves away from hormone replacement therapy suggested calcium, as the simplest and cheapest strategies to treat and prevent osteoporosis. Accordingly, this study was carried out to focus histologically on the efficacy of calcium in the treatment and prevention of osteoporotic bone loss in ovariectomized rats. Forty adult female albino rats weighing 200 gm were used and divided into four groups. Group I [control group] included non-ovariectomized untreated rats. Group II rats were ovariectomized on day 1 of the experiment and sacrificed on day 30 after ovariectomy. Group III rats were ovariectomized on day 1 of the experiment and received 27 mg calcium carbonate daily from day 30 to day 60 and then sacrificed. Group IV rats received the same dose of calcium carbonate daily for 30 days prior to ovariectomy and for 30 days after it. The rats were ovariectomized on day 30. Group II animals showed marked decrease in the cortical bone thickness and bone trabeculae were thin and discrete. In group III animals, the decrease in cortical and trabecular bone thickness was mild. Regarding group IV, the bone architecture was maintained so that the cortical bone, and the bone trabeculae were more or less comparable to the control group. From the results of this work, it is concluded that calcium supplementation was effective in reduction and prevention of osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats