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Comparison insight dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), histomorphometry, ash weight, and morphometric indices for bone evaluation in an animal model (the orchidectomized rat) of male osteoporosis

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Abstract

We have compared the measurements obtained by different methods: dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), histomorphometry, ash weight, and two morphometric indices (robusticity and bone weight/bone length index) in the orchidectomized (ORX) rat model of male osteoporosis. We examined 144 male wistar rats: 48 shamoperated, 48 ORX, and 48 ORX-treated with a bisphosphonate (risedronate) 2 or 10 µg/kg/day, 5 days per week. Rats were sacrificed at 2, 4, 8, or 16 weeks after the beginning of the study. DXA was performed on a Hologic QDR 2000 on the whole body, whole tibia, and tibial metaphysis. Bone volumes (C.BV/C.TV, and BV/TV) were measured by histomorphometry on the proximal tibial. A significant correlation was obtained between weight measured by DXA and scale (r=0.993,P<0.000001). However, DXA underestimated weight by 0.3%. This discrepancy was dependent on the rat’s weight. The weight bone length (WL) index was linearly correlated with BMD (r=0.86), BMC (r=0.96), and ash weight (r=0.97). Correlation with robusticity was lower than with the WL index. A significant correlation was found between BMC of the metaphyseal region and the bone volumes but this explained only 27% of the variance; correlation with BMD was poorer (r=0.40). BMC and ash weight were highly correlated (r=0.992,P<0.000001). However, DXA overestimated BMC by 11% and the overestimation was found to be clearly dependent on the net mineral content of the bone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LHEA: Laboratoire d’Histologie-Embryologie, CHU & Faculté de Médecine, 49045, Angers Cédex, France

    Hélène Libouban, Marie-Françoise Moreau, Michel F. Baslé & Daniel Chappard

  2. Service de Rhumatologie, CHU, 49033, Angers Cédex, France

    Erick Legrand & Maurice Audran

Authors
  1. Hélène Libouban
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  2. Marie-Françoise Moreau
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  3. Erick Legrand
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  4. Michel F. Baslé
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  5. Maurice Audran
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  6. Daniel Chappard
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Libouban, H., Moreau, MF., Legrand, E. et al. Comparison insight dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), histomorphometry, ash weight, and morphometric indices for bone evaluation in an animal model (the orchidectomized rat) of male osteoporosis. Calcif Tissue Int 68, 31–37 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685000

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