Protective Effect of Alendronate on Lumbar Facet Degeneration in Ovariectomized Rats

Abstract

Background Facet joint degeneration (FJD) is a potential source of lower back pain, and estrogen deficiency can accelerate FJD. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of alendronate (ALN) on FJD induced by ovariectomy (OVX) in rats. Material/Methods Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either bilateral OVX (n=20) or sham surgery (n=10). The OVX rats subsequently received either subcutaneous ALN (70 μg/kg/week) or vehicle for 12 weeks. Subchondral bone mass and microarchitecture were evaluated by micro-computed tomography. Cartilage degradation was evaluated by toluidine blue staining and histological scoring. Results Compared with the Sham group, the OVX group had significantly decreased bone mineral density, bone volume/trabecular volume, and trabecular thickness, significantly increased trabecular separation in subchondral bone, and significantly higher histological score for cartilage degeneration, particularly loss of cartilage thickness. ALN treatment significantly reversed the changes in subchondral bone, preserved cartilage thickness, and reduced the histological score. Immunohistochemical analyses showed significantly decreased expression of ADAMTS-4, MMP-13, and caspase-3 in the OVX+ALN group compared with the OVX group. Conclusions Treatment with ALN suppressed bone loss, subchondral bone architecture deterioration, and cartilage degeneration in OVX rats, which can be explained by roles of ALN in preservation of subchondral bone mass and microarchitecture, and counteraction of catabolism and chondrocyte apoptosis in cartilage.

Therapeutic effect of alendronate in an experimental temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis

“…Shi et al reported that alendronate inhibits the secretion of inflammatory factors in articular cartilage chondrocytes, reduces cytokine secretion and prevents the progression of inflammation 26 . In a study conducted on rats, it was shown that subcutaneous alendronate administration suppressed degenerative changes on the lumbar facet joint and prevented chondrocyte apoptosis in rats that had undergone ovariectomy 27 . In the study of Zhu et al on rats undergoing ovariectomy, it was reported that subcutaneously administered alendronate slows down the erosion in the cartilage tissue in the development of osteoarthritis and protects the subchondral bone 28 .…”

Modern approaches to modeling in vivo degenerative spine diseases

“…Остеоартроз дуговідросткових суглобів у поперековому відділі хребта щурів відтворюють за допомогою внутрішньосуглобового введення хімічних агентів [65][66][67], механічної травми [9,68], впливу системних чинників [69].…”

“…Модель дає змогу вивчати ефективність знеболювання у щурів [68]. Як атравматичну модель остеоартрозу дуговідросткових суглобів запропоновано оваріоектомію [69].…”

High doses of zoledronic acid induce differential effects on femur and jawbone microstructure

“…Micro‐computed tomography (CT) is a validated method for the high‐resolution evaluation of tridimensional bone structure, presenting high accuracy compared to histomorphometry (Soares et al, 2018 ). The impact of bisphosphonates on bone quality of adult animal models either with or without induced osteonecrosis has been largely investigated (Hatori et al, 2015 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ). Nevertheless, information on young animal models is limited and most research focuses on bisphosphonate's effect on bone growth (Battaglia et al, 2011 ; Rao et al, 2008 ).…”

“…The impact of bisphosphonates on bone quality of adult animal models either with or without induced osteonecrosis has been largely investigated (Hatori et al, 2015;Zhang et al, 2019). Nevertheless, information on young animal models is limited and most research focuses on bisphosphonate's effect on bone growth (Battaglia et al, 2011;Rao et al, 2008).…”