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Correlation between osteoporosis and degeneration of intervertebral discs in aging rats

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Summary

This study examined the correlation between osteoporosis and the degeneration of intervertebral discs. Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained up to 22 or 28 months. The femoral bone, tibial bone and lumbar vertebra were histologically studied and the expression of collagen type II and X in intervertebral discs was immunohistochemiscally determined. Several indices for the degeneration of intervertebral discs and osteoporosis and the correlation among them were then analyzed. Close correlations were found among the indices for the degeneration of intervertebral discs, including the relative area of the vascular bud, the ratio of the uncalcified and the calcified layers, the expression of collagen type II and X. The correlation with collagen type X was negative. There existed positive correlations among the indices for osteoporosis, including the thickness ratio of cortical bone, the relative area of bone trabecula, the density of femoral and vertebral body bones, and the maximum stress and strain on bone. Analysis on the relationship of osteoporosis and the disease on disc showed that the indices of osteoporosis were negatively correlated with the indices of the degeneration of intervertebral discs but the expression of collagen type X was positively correlated, with the density of vertebral body bones having the strongest dependence on collagen type X. The maximum stress and strain bore no correlation with the degeneration of intervertebral discs. These results suggest that osteoporosis was negatively correlated with the degeneration of intervertebral discs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Yingang Zhang  (张银刚) & Yusheng Qiu  (邱裕生)

  2. Department of Orthopedics, Xi’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Xi’an, 710001, China

    Junqing Xia  (夏均青)

  3. Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, 78229, USA

    Yidong Bai  (白益东)

Authors
  1. Yingang Zhang  (张银刚)
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  2. Junqing Xia  (夏均青)
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  3. Yusheng Qiu  (邱裕生)
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  4. Yidong Bai  (白益东)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yingang Zhang  (张银刚).

Additional information

The study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81171761, 30973063) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central University (No. 08143045).

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Zhang, Y., Xia, J., Qiu, Y. et al. Correlation between osteoporosis and degeneration of intervertebral discs in aging rats. J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 32, 210–215 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-012-0037-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-012-0037-3

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