Current Protocols in Mouse Biology

Bone is an essential organ that not only confers structural stability to the organism, but also serves as a reservoir for hematopoietic elements and is thought to affect systemic homeostasis through the release of endocrine factors as well as calcium. The loss of bone mass due to an uncoupling of bone formation and bone resorption leads to increased fragility that can result in devastating fractures. Further understanding of the effects of environmental stimuli on the development of bone disease in humans is needed, and can be studied using animal models. In this chapter, we present established and novel methods for the induction of bone loss in mice, including manipulation of diet and environment, drug administration, irradiation, and hormone deficiency. All of these models are directly related to human cases, and can thus be used to investigate the causes of bone loss resulting from these interventions.