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Bone mineral metabolism and histomorphometry in rats with cholestatic liver disease
Zvi Ackerman1, Miron Weinreb, Gail Amir
1Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. zackerman@hadassah.org.il
Background:
The etiology of osteopenia in cholestatic liver disease is uncertain. An animal model is needed in order to study the efficacy of therapeutic agents.
Aims:
In order to characterise the bone disease in rats with cholestatic liver disease.
Methods:
Four-month old male Sprague-Dawley bile duct-ligated (BDL) and sham-operated (SO) rats were studied. Twenty-eight days after surgery serum osteocalcin, a bone-formation marker, urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) cross-links, a resorption marker, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 were determined. Static and dynamic (tetracycline-based) histomorphometric analysis was performed on femurs and tibiae.
Results:
All BDL rats developed biliary cirrhosis. Bile duct-ligated rats had lower bone mass, reflected in statistically significantly 13.5% lower femoral dry-weight, 16% lower femoral ash-weight, 42.7% lower tibial cancellous bone area and 19% lower trabecular thickness, compared with SO rats. Bile duct-ligated rats exhibited decreased bone formation manifested by statistically significantly 70% lower tetracycline double-labelling, 40% lower mineralising surface, 51% lower bone-formation rate and 47% lower osteocalcin compared with SO rats. Deoxypyridinoline levels were 20% lower in BDL rats. Bile duct-ligated rats had 52% lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level, but no significant increase in cortical osteoid area.
Conclusions:
Bile duct-ligated rats develop osteopenia characterised by low bone-formation rate, and can be used for studying therapeutic agents for patients with cholestatic liver disease displaying similar bone changes.