Preventive and therapeutic effect of strontium ranelate on osteoporosis in rats subjected to simulated weightlessness / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of strontium ranelate on osteoporosis induced by simulated weightlessness in male rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-seven male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely the normal control group (group A) and two groups of weightlessness simulated by tail suspension (groups B and C). The rats in group C were treated with strontium ranelate, and those in the other two groups were given the same dose of normal saline for 28 consecutive days.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rats in group B showed significantly lower levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) than those in group A (P<0.05), but serum calcium and phosphonium concentrations underwent no significant changes in the 3 groups (P>0.05). In the rats of group B, the trabeculae of the femur became thinner, fragile, and discontinuous with reduced quantity as compared with those in group A. The rats in group C had greater number of the trabeculae than those in group B with decreased resorption surface and more regular arrangement of the collagen fibers.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Strontium ranelate may produce beneficial effect on the bone microstructure, reduce bone loss and stimulate bone formation in male rats subjected to simulated weightlessness.</p>