RESUMO
Background: Previous studies demonstrated that the prevalence of osteoporosis was 4% in women aged 50 to 59 years compared to 44% in women aged 80 years and older. Osteoporosis may be primary or secondary. Glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis [GIO] is considered among the most common causes of secondary osteoporosis. The present study aimed to assess if vitamin D and olive oil could be useful in the treatment of GIO as bisphosphonate
Materials and Methods: Fifty adult female albino rats weighing 180-220 grams and aged 16-19 weeks were divided into five groups [each consists of ten rats]: the control group, osteoporotic group, bisphosphonate group, vitamin D group and olive oil group. The first group served as a negative control group. The other four groups were injected subcutaneously by methyl-prednisolone [0.5 mg/kg/day - three times a week] for 60 days to induce osteoporosis [glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis "GIO"]. One of the four groups served as a positive control group while other three groups were treated with oral bisphosphonate [0.84 mg/kg/day - five days a week], oral Vitamin D3 [0.1 ug/kg/day - five days a week] and oral Olive oil [0.1 ug/kg/day - five times a week] respectively for additional 60 days. At the end of the experiment, the right femur was removed from each rat and examined histologically after staining by hematoxylin and eosin stain as well as Masson's trichrome stain. The stained sections were photographed and analyzed to assess cortical bone thickness, osteocyte number and osteocyte lacunae
Results: By comparing the cortical thickness in all groups we detected a significant difference between bisphosphonate group and the control group, as well as between the GIO group and the control group. We also found a significant decrease in osteocyte number by comparing the GIO group to the control group. There was as a significant difference between vitamin D group and control group when we compared the number of osteocyte lacunae in all groups
Conclusion: GIO affects mainly the cortical bone thickness as well as the osteocyte number. Bisphosphonate is possibly the drug of choice in the treatment of osteoporosis especially by increasing the cortical bone thickness. Although olive oil acts also on increasing cortical bone thickness as well as bisphosphonates but it was less effective. On the other hand, vitamin D increases both; the cortical thickness and the osteocyte number moderately and may be used as a prophylactic agent against osteoporosis