Estrogen treatment prevents osteopenia and depresses bone turnover in ovariectomized rats

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery (control). Groups of ovariectomized (OVX) and control rats were injected daily with low, medium, or high doses of 17 beta-estradiol (10, 25, or 50 micrograms/kg BW, respectively). An additional group of OVX and control rats was injected daily with vehicle alone. All rats were killed 35 days after OVX, and their proximal tibiae were processed undecalcified for quantitative bone histomorphometry. Trabecular bone volume was markedly reduced in vehicle-treated OVX rats relative to that in control rats (12.1% vs. 26.7%). This bone loss was associated with a 2-fold increase in osteoclast surface and a 4-fold increase in osteoblast surface. The bone formation rate, studied with fluorochrome labeling, was also significantly elevated in vehicle-treated OVX rats (0.111 vs. 0.026 micron3/micron2.day). In contrast, treatment of OVX rats with the three doses of estradiol resulted in normalization of tibial trabecular bone volume and a decline in histomorphometric indices of bone resorption and formation. Our results indicate that estrogen treatment provides complete protection against osteopenia in OVX rats. The protective mechanism involves estrogenic suppression of bone turnover. These findings are consistent with the skeletal effects of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women.