Time course of influence by ovariectomy and calcium diet on bone properties in mice.

This study was investigated the influence by ovariectomy (OVX) and calcium diet on bone properties in eighty-one female ICR strain mice with age of 5 weeks. The animals were randomly assigned to sham operation (SHAM), OVX, SHAM+low Ca intake (L.Ca) and OVX+L.Ca group. They were euthanized with lethal dose of pentobarbital sodium at day 50, 100 and 140 post-operatively. For determining the bone properties, both femur and tibial bones were excised from the hind limb, and removed off surrounding tissues. Thereafter, bone length, bone dry weight, and also mechanical strength and ash content of the bones were determined. The bone length on both femur and tibia was significantly longer in OVX group than in the other groups after 50 day of experiment, this situation was continued to the end of the experiment. Bone dry weight, mechanical strength, and ash content were significantly decreased by OVX and L.Ca over the time of the experiment, and those of OVX+L.Ca group were the lowest in all groups. OVX and L.Ca have a great potential for weakening the mechanical strength and have an additive effect when combined. OVX and L.Ca block the gain of bone mass.

The effect of low calcium diet on bone in ovariectomized mice.

This study investigates the effects of Ca on bone in the ovariectomized mice. Twenty-six female ICR mice aged 5 weeks were used. They were ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated (SHAM) and fed standard mouse diet (SF) or special low calcium diet (L.Ca), respectively. All animals were sacrificed at day 100 after operation. Mechanical strength of the left femur and tibia was measured by the three-point bending strength test. The bones were dried, weighed and burned to ash. Correlation between mechanical strength and ash content was found. A specimen of the right tibia was prepared. Mechanical strength, ash content and ratio of dry bone weight to body weight of the femur and tibia in OVX and L.Ca mice were significantly less than in SHAM and SF mice. SHAM/SF mice and OVX/L.Ca group showed highest and lowest values in all cases. The values for the femur and tibia in OVX/SF mice were lower than in SHAM/SF group and in OVX/L.Ca group were less than in OVX/SF mice. Correlation coefficients for mechanical strength and ash content were 0.704 and 0.776 for the femur and tibia. Ca is thus related to inhibition of bone loss and maintenance of bone mass and effective prevention of osteoporosis.