Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Does simvastatin stimulate bone formation in vivo?

Dietrich von Stechow1, Susan Fish, Dror Yahalom

  • 1Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. dvonstec@caregroup.harvard.edu

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
|April 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The heme-regulated inhibitor eIF2α kinase: a multifaceted sensor and drug target.

Trends in cell biology·2026
Same author

How bones learn to listen: In vivo models for investigating mechanosensitivity at bony interfaces in the ageing mouse.

Annals of anatomy = Anatomischer Anzeiger : official organ of the Anatomische Gesellschaft·2026
Same author

Combined physical and pharmacological anabolic osteoporosis therapies increase bone response and mechanoregulation in female mice.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

A Water-Soluble PVA Macrothiol Enables Two-Photon Microfabrication of Cell-Interactive Hydrogel Structures at 400 mm s<sup>-1</sup>.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Ligand non-competitive GITR antibody prevents formation of the obligatory signal-triggering GITRL: GITR stoichiometry.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Digital twin simulations with a micro-multiphysics agent-based model reveal key drivers of bone loss after denosumab discontinuation.

Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology·2025

Simvastatin (SVS) did not stimulate bone formation in ovariectomized mice, unlike parathyroid hormone (PTH). Further research is needed to refine statin formulations for effective in vivo bone anabolic effects.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical research
  • Pharmacology
  • Bone biology

Background:

  • Statins inhibit cholesterol synthesis and have shown potential for inducing bone formation in preclinical studies.
  • Ovariectomized (OVX) mice are a standard model for studying bone loss and evaluating bone-modulating agents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the in vivo bone anabolic effects of simvastatin (SVS) with parathyroid hormone (PTH).
  • To investigate the efficacy of SVS in promoting bone formation in an established model of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Main Methods:

  • Ovariectomy was performed on mice, followed by a period of untreated bone loss before treatment with PTH, SVS, or vehicle.
  • Bone microarchitecture was analyzed using micro-computed tomography (micro CT).
  • Serum levels of SVS and its active metabolite (SVS-OH) were quantified using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Parathyroid hormone (PTH) significantly increased trabecular bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) by 4.2-fold compared to controls (p < 0.001).
  • Simvastatin (SVS) treatment did not result in a significant difference in trabecular BV/TV compared to the vehicle group (p = NS).
  • LC/MS confirmed the presence of active SVS-OH in mouse serum, and osteocalcin assays showed no significant enhancement of bone formation or osteoblast activity with SVS.

Conclusions:

  • Despite in vitro evidence and detection of its active metabolite in vivo, simvastatin (SVS) failed to demonstrate anabolic effects on bone in this ovariectomized mouse model.
  • Parathyroid hormone (PTH) exhibited significant bone anabolic activity as expected.
  • Current liver-targeted statin formulations may require optimization for effective in vivo bone formation stimulation.