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Calcium Deficiency in Diet Decreases the Magnesium Content in Bone and Affects Femur Physicochemical Properties in Growing Rats

Biological Trace Element Research volume 197, pages 224–232 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

This study evaluates the effect of three calcium levels in the diet (normal, moderate, and severe calcium depletion) on bone metabolism of male Wistar rats during their growth period. Bone mineral density (BMD) and femur length were determined in vivo during the growth stage using a single X-ray transmission system. The apparent calcium absorption was calculated in the rat adolescent and adulthood stages. At the end of the experiment, calcium concentrations in serum and urine were analyzed. The bones were evaluated postmortem to corroborate in vivo analyses. Microstructural properties of cortical and trabecular tissues of femurs bones were assessed using scanning electron microscopy. Bone mineral contents (Mg, Ca, P, and K) were quantified by inductively coupled plasma. Severe calcium depletion in the diets in the development stage affects the bone quality parameters such as bone mineral density and mineral content. Moreover, it was found thinner cortical and trabecular bone areas. Additionally, it was found that severe calcium depletion increased the apparent absorption of calcium as a defense mechanism, but with the decrease of the BMD peak, and the thickness of cortical bone as well as trabecular bone porosity. The severe calcium depletion increased the efficiency of apparent absorption calcium as a defense mechanism, but, even so, decreases the BMD peak as well as the thickness of cortical bone and trabecular bone porosity.

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Acknowledgments

Ezequiel Hernández Becerra wishes to thank Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, México) for his Postdoctoral position at CFATA-UNAM-Juriquilla. We want to thank M. en I.Q Alicia del Real for the SEM and Mayté Juárez Meneses (Investigación Aplicada, Centro Universitario de Vinculación-BUAP) for their technical support.

Funding

This project was supported by PAPIIT-UNAM project number IN112317.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, 76230, Querétaro, México

    Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra

  2. Posgrado en Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, 76230, Querétaro, México

    Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Física, División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, Centro, 37150, Guanajuato, México

    Daniel Jímenez-Mendoza

  4. Laboratorio de Magnetismo y Materiales Avanzados, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Manizales, 170002, Colombia

    Nathalia Mutis-Gonzalez

  5. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, 170002, Colombia

    Posidia Pineda-Gomez

  6. Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Cerro de las Campanas S/N, 76010, Querétaro, Qro, Mexico

    Isela Rojas-Molina

  7. Departamento de Nanotecnología, Centro de Física Aplica y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México campus Juriquilla, 76230, Querétaro, México

    Mario E. Rodríguez-García

Authors
  1. Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra
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  2. Daniel Jímenez-Mendoza
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  3. Nathalia Mutis-Gonzalez
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  4. Posidia Pineda-Gomez
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  5. Isela Rojas-Molina
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  6. Mario E. Rodríguez-García
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ezequiel Hernández-Becerra.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of Mexican current regulation (NOM-062-ZOO-1999).

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Hernández-Becerra, E., Jímenez-Mendoza, D., Mutis-Gonzalez, N. et al. Calcium Deficiency in Diet Decreases the Magnesium Content in Bone and Affects Femur Physicochemical Properties in Growing Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 197, 224–232 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01989-9

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Keywords

  • Bone mineral density
  • Bone microstructure
  • Bone mineral content
  • Single X-ray system
  • Calcium depletion
  • Trabecular and cortical bone