Effects of pamidronate on the development of changes in bone mechanical properties and bone structure caused by the administration of prednisolone in rats.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of pamidronate on mechanical properties, growth, and structural changes in bones of rats in which experimental osteopenia was induced by administration of prednisolone. The experiment was carried out on male WAG rats divided into three groups: I. Control, II. Prednisolone (5 mg/kg im daily) and III. Disodium pamidronate (3 mg/kg sc daily) + prednisolone (5 mg/kg im daily). After three weeks of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed and their femoral and tibial bones were prepared. The administration of prednisolone resulted in morphological and metabolic changes in the osseous system, characteristic of osteopenia. The increased osteopsathyrosis was noted, manifesting in lowered resistance to fractures and lesser deformability in comparison with the control group. The administration of pamidronate resulted in the reduction of the destructive action of prednisolone on bones.