Cortical bone loss in osteoporosis: the rabbit as a platform for drug discovery and testing

Osteoporosis (OP) affects bone quality and quantity of millions of people worldwide. Osteoporotic fractures significantly decrease the quality of life of patients and are associated with increased mortality in the following years. Thus, there is continued clinical interest in treatments that preserve bone and mitigate fracture risk. As a routine method, several preclinical animal models exist to test current and potential OP treatments. However, most studies focus on trabecular bone, while cortical bone is under-studied, despite its significant role in bone strength and fragility.

The authors review the available on the use of the rabbit model to investigate the pathophysiology and treatments (antiresorptive and osteoanabolic) of OP, emphasizing cortical bone outcomes. Google Scholar was utilized to find the most up-to-date literature on the subject.

The rabbit model of OP is suitable choice for investigation treatments in cortical bone, owing to its human-like cortical remodeling process, which is fundamental to the development of OP. Opportunities exist to utilize novel imaging and histological methods with the rabbit model to examine the mechanisms underpinning the pathophysiology of OP, and to investigate existing and new targets for drug discovery at a microscopic level within the cortical bone compartment.