Effect of chronic centrifugation on bone density of the dog

Sixteen male Beagle dogs, 293 to 509 days old, were exposed almost continuously for 3 months to 2.0 G on a 7.9m radius centrifuge. The dogs were maintained on the centrifuge by means of a specially designed, automated waste disposal and life support system. Bone density was measured by a 125I Profile Scanner in the anterior, medial posterior and lateral cortex of the femoral mid-shaft. As compared to mean density in the femora of normal gravity controls, centrifuged dogs showed a 0.8% (P less than 0.05) lower mean linear absorption in their femora. However, the regression of density on the square-root of cross-sectional area/pi differs very significantly in the animals living at earth gravity and those living at hypergravity. Thin hypergravic bones are denser, thick hypergravic ones are less dense than the corresponding ones of normal gravity controls.