Zarrinkalam M R, Beard H, Schultz C G, Moore R J
The Adelaide Centre for Spinal Research, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, PO Box 14, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
Eur Spine J. 2009 Feb;18(2):244-53. doi: 10.1007/s00586-008-0813-8. Epub 2008 Nov 18.
Rats have long been the animal of choice for research in the field of osteoporosis. In the search for a complementary large animal model the sheep appears useful but hitherto the extent of bone loss from the spine has failed to reach a level that is generally accepted as osteoporotic in humans. Osteoporosis was induced in ten sheep using ovariectomy, low calcium diet and steroid injection for 6 months. Bone samples of iliac crest (IC), lumbar spine (LS), and proximal femur (PF) from the osteoporotic sheep were compared with those from four normal sheep using densitometry, histomorphometry, biochemistry and basic mechanical testing. The differences were examined using an analysis of variance with Tukey-Kramer test. Overall, the bone mineral density at LS and PF decreased more than 25% after treatment. Trabecular bone volume decreased by 29.2, 33.4 and 42.6% in IC, LS and PF, respectively. The failure load of the LS in axial compression was reduced to 2,003 from 6,140 N. The extent of bone loss was sufficient to categorise these sheep as osteoporotic although the pattern of bone loss varied between sites. Reduced mechanical competence in LS confirmed the suitability of this model for evaluation of potential treatments for osteoporosis.
长期以来，大鼠一直是骨质疏松症研究领域的首选动物。在寻找一种补充性的大型动物模型时，绵羊似乎是有用的，但迄今为止，绵羊脊柱的骨质流失程度尚未达到被普遍认为是人类骨质疏松症的水平。对10只绵羊进行卵巢切除术、低钙饮食和类固醇注射6个月以诱导骨质疏松症。使用骨密度测定、组织形态计量学、生物化学和基本力学测试，将骨质疏松绵羊的髂嵴（IC）、腰椎（LS）和股骨近端（PF）的骨样本与4只正常绵羊的样本进行比较。使用方差分析和Tukey-Kramer检验来检查差异。总体而言，治疗后LS和PF的骨矿物质密度下降超过25%。IC、LS和PF的小梁骨体积分别下降了29.2%、33.4%和42.6%。LS在轴向压缩时的破坏载荷从6140 N降至2003 N。尽管不同部位的骨质流失模式有所不同，但骨质流失程度足以将这些绵羊归类为骨质疏松症。LS的力学性能降低证实了该模型适用于评估骨质疏松症的潜在治疗方法。
