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Beneficial effects of vitamin E isomer supplementation on static and dynamic bone histomorphometry parameters in normal male rats

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Abstract

Bone is a specialized connective tissue that functions as the load-bearing structure of the body. Free radicals may affect bone remodeling by regulating osteoclast activity in either the physiological or pathological condition. Vitamin E, a lipid-soluble antioxidant, has been demonstrated to offer protection against osteoporosis and to improve the bone material and structure of animal models. The aim of this study was to observe and compare the effects of alpha-tocopherol (α-tocopherol), delta-tocotrienol (δ-tocotrienol), and gamma-tocotrienol (γ-tocotrienol) on the static and dynamic bone histomorphometric parameters in normal male rats. Thirty-two normal Sprague–Dawley male rats aged 3 months and weighing 200–250 g were randomly divided into four groups. The control group was supplemented with oral gavages of olive oil (vehicle), whereas the α-tocopherol, δ-tocotrienol, and γ-tocotrienol groups were given oral gavages of 60 mg/kg α-tocopherol, δ-tocotrienol, and γ-tocotrienol, respectively. The rats were injected twice with calcein to fluorochrome-label the bones. After 4 months of treatment, the rats were killed, and the left femurs were dissected out and prepared for bone histomorphometry. Both the static and dynamic parameters of the vitamin E-treated groups were better than those of the normal control group. Among the vitamin E-treated groups, the tocotrienol groups showed better histomorphometry results compared to the α-tocopherol group, with the γ-tocotrienol group demonstrating the best effects on both sets of parameters. We concluded that vitamin E can promote bone formation in normal rats, with γ-tocotrienol being the most potent form of vitamin E.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Carotech (Ipoh, Malaysia) for supplying the tocotrienol isomers. We are also grateful to the staff of the Pharmacology Department, UKM Medical Centre, for their technical assistance. We also thank the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for funding this project via research grant UKMAEC: Far/2006/nazrun/19-4/169-1-2007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pharmacology, Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur, 50300, Malaysia

    Ahmad Nazrun Shuid, Norazlina Mohamed, Norliza Muhammad & Ima Nirwana Soelaiman

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  1. Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat
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  2. Ahmad Nazrun Shuid
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  3. Norazlina Mohamed
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  5. Ima Nirwana Soelaiman
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Correspondence to Ahmad Nazrun Shuid.

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Mehat, M.Z., Shuid, A.N., Mohamed, N. et al. Beneficial effects of vitamin E isomer supplementation on static and dynamic bone histomorphometry parameters in normal male rats. J Bone Miner Metab 28, 503–509 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-010-0159-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-010-0159-2

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