Different dosages of retinoic acid to establish a rat model of osteoporosis: a stability evaluation / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a serious threat to the health and quality of life in the elderly. It is important to establish an ideal experimental animal model to study the etiology and treatment of osteoporosis.OBJECTIVE: To establish a rat model of osteoporosis induced by different dosages of retinoic acid, thus selecting the optimal dosage.METHODS: Eighty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, low-, middle- and high-dosage groups based on body mass (n=20 per group), The rats in the latter three groups were induced with 80, 100, and 120 mg/(kg?d) retinoic acid via gastric lavage for 14 days.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the control group, the bone mineral density, number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and bone microarchitecture in the low-dosage group showed no significant changes, while there were significant decrease in the serum level of calcium and bone mineral density of femur, significant increase in the number of osteoclasts at the femur and significant changes in the femoral microarchitecture in the middle- and high-dosage groups, especially in the middle-dose group. To conclude, 120 mg/(kg?d) retinoic acid via gastric lavage for 14 days can induce a stable osteoporosis model in rats.