Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, No.366 Taishan Street, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, 271000, China.
Chinese institutes for medical research, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, China.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024 Sep 18;25(1):748. doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-07860-w.
Osteoporosis is a major health concern for postmenopausal women, and the effect of simvastatin (Sim) on bone metabolism is controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simvastatin on the bone microstructure and bone mechanical properties in ovariectomized (OVX) mice.
24 female C57BL/6J mice (8-week-old) were randomly allocated into three groups including the OVX + Sim group, the OVX group and the control group. At 8 weeks after operation, the L4 vertebral bones were dissected completely for micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT) scanning and micro-finite element analysis (µFEA). The differences between three groups were compared using ANOVA with a LSD correction, and the relationship between bone microstructure and mechanical properties was analyzed using linear regression.
Bone volume fraction, trabecular number, connectivity density and trabecular tissue mineral density in the OVX + Sim group were significantly higher than those in the OVX group (P < 0.05). For the mechanical properties detected via µFEA, the OVX + Sim group had lower total deformation, equivalent elastic strain and equivalent stress compared to the OVX group (P < 0.05). In the three groups, the mechanical parameters were significantly correlated with bone volume fraction and trabecular bone mineral density.
The findings suggested that simvastatin had a potential role in the treatment of osteoporosis. The results of this study could guide future research on simvastatin and support the development of simvastatin-based treatments to improve bone health.
骨质疏松症是绝经后妇女的主要健康问题，而辛伐他汀（Sim）对骨代谢的影响存在争议。本研究旨在探讨辛伐他汀对去卵巢（OVX）小鼠骨微观结构和骨力学性能的影响。
将 24 只 8 周龄 C57BL/6J 雌性小鼠随机分为三组：OVX+Sim 组、OVX 组和对照组。术后 8 周，完整取出 L4 椎骨进行 micro-Computed Tomography（micro-CT）扫描和微有限元分析（µFEA）。采用 ANOVA 与 LSD 校正比较三组间的差异，并用线性回归分析骨微观结构与力学性能的关系。
OVX+Sim 组的骨体积分数、骨小梁数量、连接密度和骨小梁组织矿密度明显高于 OVX 组（P<0.05）。µFEA 检测的力学性能中，OVX+Sim 组的总变形、等效弹性应变和等效应力均低于 OVX 组（P<0.05）。三组间的力学参数与骨体积分数和骨小梁矿密度呈显著相关性。
研究结果表明辛伐他汀在骨质疏松症的治疗中有一定作用。本研究结果可为辛伐他汀的进一步研究提供指导，并为基于辛伐他汀的治疗方法改善骨骼健康提供支持。
