Long-term denervation of the humerus in turkeys as an experimental model for osteopenia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of long-term denervation on volumetric bone mineral density, and geometrical and mechanical properties of the humerus in turkeys. The experiment was conducted from d 22 after hatching until wk 17 of life. All experimental birds (male turkeys) were randomly divided into 2 weight-matched groups. The first group of turkeys served as the control group and underwent a sham operation on the right wing, and the second group was subjected to surgical denervation of the right humerus. The denervation was performed by neurectomy of the radialis and the mediano-ulnaris nerves in the region of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus. All the left wings within both groups were surgically untouched. The left humerus served as the control bone to the right humerus in both investigated groups. Effect of denervation of humerus was determined in terms of geometrical and mechanical properties and quantitative computed tomography. The denervation of the humerus in turkeys significantly decreased volumetric bone mineral density, and geometrical and mechanical properties of this bone, when compared with the results obtained in humerus from the sham-operated or surgically untouched wings. However, no significant differences between right and left humerus were observed when analyzing all of the investigated parameters in the sham-operated group of turkeys. It is concluded that long-term denervation of humerus in turkeys induces osteopenia and may serve as a new experimental model for investigating factors that affect skeletal homeostasis in poultry and other vertebrates.