Implications of combined ovariectomy and glucocorticoid (dexamethasone) treatment on mineral, microarchitectural, biomechanical and matrix properties of rat bone

Summary Osteoporosis is one of the deleterious side effects of long‐term glucocorticoid therapy. Since the condition is particularly aggressive in postmenopausal women who are on steroid therapy, in this study we have attempted to analyse the combined effect of glucocorticoid (dexamethasone) treatment and cessation of oestrogen on rat bone. The dual aim was to generate osteoporotic bone status in a short time scale and to characterise the combination of glucocorticoid–postmenopausal osteoporotic conditions. Sprague Dawley rats ( N = 42) were grouped randomly into three groups: untreated control, sham‐operated and ovariectomized–steroid (OVX‐Steroid) rats. Control animals were euthanized with no treatment [Month 0 (M0)], while sham and OVX‐Steroid rats were monitored up to 1 month (M1) and 3 months (M3) post laparotomy/post OVX‐Steroid treatment. Histology, dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT), and biomechanical and mRNA expression analysis of collagenous, non‐collagenous matrix proteins and osteoclast markers were examined. The study indicated enhanced osteoclastogenesis and significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) in the OVX‐Steroid rats with Z ‐scores below −2.5, reduced torsional strength, reduced bone volume (BV/TV%), significantly enhanced trabecular separation (Tb.S), and less trabecular number (Tb.N) compared with sham rats. Osteoclast markers, cathepsin K and MMP 9 were upregulated along with Col1α1 and biglycan with no significant expression variation in fibronectin, MMP 14, LRP‐5, Car II and TNC. These results show higher bone turnover with enhanced bone resorption accompanied with reduced torsional strength in OVX‐Steroid rats; and these changes were attained within a short timeframe. This could be a useful model which mimics human postmenopausal osteoporosis that is associated with steroid therapy and could prove of value both in disease diagnosis and for testing generating and testing biological agents which could be used in treatment.