Different responses of trabecular and cortical bone to 1,25(OH)2D3 infusion

Previous studies regarding the effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] on bone have suggested that 1,25(OH)2D3 increases bone mass and calcium. Many of these studies have focused on trabecular or total bone without examining cortical bone per se. To determine whether the response of trabecular bone to 1,25(OH)2D3 differed from the response of cortical bone, we infused 1,25(OH)2D3 into rats and examined bone mass, 45Ca accumulation, and the density distribution of bone particles (as a measure of bone maturation) in both the proximal tibia and shaft. In the proximal tibia 1,25(OH)2D3 decreased 45Ca accumulation, yet increased bone mass and shifted the particle distribution to more mineralized fractions. In the shaft there was a redistribution of bone to less mineralized fractions that was not accompanied by a change in total bone mass or a decrease in 45Ca accumulation. Thus 1,25(OH)2D3 may retard bone maturation and mineralization throughout the tibia, but this effect in the proximal tibia appears to be overshadowed by a reduction in bone resorption resulting in an accumulation of well-mineralized bone in that region. Bone resorption, however, was not measured directly. The net result is an increase in bone mass and density of trabecular bone not seen in cortical bone.