The course of selected bone resorption marker concentrations in response to short-term hypocalcemia experimentally induced with disodium EDTA infusions in dairy cows.

The collagen metabolites hydroxyproline (HYP), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and the carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) are suitable markers for bone resorption in humans and several animal species. The purpose of this study was to describe the course of bone resorption markers during short-term hypocalcemia induced with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Na2EDTA) and to investigate whether bone resorption is increased in dairy cows under these conditions. EDTA infusions have been used as a model for periparturient paresis in dairy cows and to estimate the calcium mobilization rate from body reserves in ruminants. In this study, hypocalcemia was induced by means of a 5% Na2EDTA infusion (0.55 mg/kg/min Na2EDTA for 5 h = total dose of 100.6 g). Two experiments were conducted: (1) Six 4-11 years-old Brown Swiss cows were infused intravenously with EDTA for 5 h. Blood and urine samples were taken repeatedly from 1 day before until 10 days after infusion. (2) Towards the end of the lactation, the experiment was repeated with the same animals after a 14-day-period of feeding a low calcium diet (26 g/animal per day). The EDTA-infusion induced hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia. The HYP-, DPD- and ICTP-concentration remained mainly unaffected during both infusions. Only DPD showed an increase during infusion and HYP an increase 2 days after the infusion. In conclusion, the EDTA infusion had little effect on the concentrations of the measured bone markers, which may be due to the fact that the serum calcium pool was refilled by increased absorption of Ca via the gastrointestinal tract. From these results, it can be concluded that bone resorption was not influenced by EDTA infusion.