To characterize osteopenic changes in ovariectomized (OVX) rats as a function of time, female Sprague Dawley rats (240 g body weight, 90 days old) were subjected to bilateral ovariectomy or sham surgery and killed at various times from 14-180 days postovariectomy. The proximal tibial metaphysis was processed undecalcified for quantitative bone histomorphometry. Osteopenia and increased indices of bone resorption and formation were detected in OVX rats as early as 14 days. Longitudinal bone growth was also significantly increased by ovariectomy at 14 days, but returned to control levels at all later times. In OVX rats, osteopenia became progressively more pronounced with time up to 100 days postovariectomy, after which trabecular bone volume appeared to stabilize at the markedly reduced level of 5%. Changes in osteoclast surface, osteoblast surface, and fluoro-chrome-based indices of bone formation in OVX rats followed a similar time course. The maximal increase in these parameters occurred during the first several months postovariectomy followed by a gradual decline toward control levels. Our results indicate that the initial rapid phase of bone loss in OVX rats is coincident with the maximal increase in bone turnover. At later times postovariectomy, bone loss and bone turnover both subside. These findings emphasize the close temporal association between the development of osteopenia and increased bone turnover in OVX rats.

The long-term skeletal effects of ovariectomy and aging were studied in female Sprague-Dawley rats sacrificed at 270, 370, and 540 days after bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery at 90 days of age. The proximal tibia was processed undecalcified for quantitative bone histomorphometry. For continuity, data from these late time points were combined with previously published data from earlier time points (0-180 days). A biphasic pattern of cancellous bone loss was detected in the proximal tibial metaphysis of OVX rats. An initial, rapid phase of bone loss out to 100 days was followed by an intermediate period of relative stabilization of cancellous bone volume at the markedly osteopenic level of 5-7%. After 270 days, a slow phase of bone loss occurred during which cancellous bone volume declined to 1-2%. Both the initial, rapid phase and the late, slow phase of bone loss in OVX rats were associated with increased bone turnover. In control rats, cancellous bone volume remained constant at 25-30% out to 270 days (12 months of age), then decreased to approximately 10% by 540 days (21 months of age). This age-related bone loss was also associated with increased bone turnover. It is interesting to note that the proximal tibial growth plates were closed in approximately a quarter of the control rats by 15-21 months of age. Our data indicate that a slow rate of bone loss and increased bone turnover persist in OVX rats during the later stages of estrogen deficiency. Therefore, the development of osteopenia is coincident with increased bone turnover in OVX rats as well as in aged, control rats.

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) or sham surgery (control). Groups of ovariectomized (OVX) and control rats were injected daily with low, medium, or high doses of 17 beta-estradiol (10, 25, or 50 micrograms/kg BW, respectively). An additional group of OVX and control rats was injected daily with vehicle alone. All rats were killed 35 days after OVX, and their proximal tibiae were processed undecalcified for quantitative bone histomorphometry. Trabecular bone volume was markedly reduced in vehicle-treated OVX rats relative to that in control rats (12.1% vs. 26.7%). This bone loss was associated with a 2-fold increase in osteoclast surface and a 4-fold increase in osteoblast surface. The bone formation rate, studied with fluorochrome labeling, was also significantly elevated in vehicle-treated OVX rats (0.111 vs. 0.026 micron3/micron2.day). In contrast, treatment of OVX rats with the three doses of estradiol resulted in normalization of tibial trabecular bone volume and a decline in histomorphometric indices of bone resorption and formation. Our results indicate that estrogen treatment provides complete protection against osteopenia in OVX rats. The protective mechanism involves estrogenic suppression of bone turnover. These findings are consistent with the skeletal effects of estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women.

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