Bone mineral content in the senescent rat femur: an assessment using single photon absorptiometry

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · J. Bone Miner. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.5650030310· OSTI ID:6498794

Kiebzak, G M; Smith, R; Howe, J C; Sacktor, B

The single photon absorptiometry technique was evaluated for measuring bone mineral content (BMC) of the excised femurs of the rat, and the system was used to examine the changes in cortical and trabecular bone from young adult (6 mo), mature adult (12 mo), and senescent (24 mo) male and female animals. BMC of the femur midshaft, representing cortical bone, apparently increased progressively with advancing age. The width of the femur at the scan site also increased with age. Normalizing the midshaft BMC by width partially compensated for the age-associated increase. However, when bone mineral values were normalized by the cortical area at the scan site, to take into account the geometric differences in the femurs of different aged animals, maximum bone densities were found in the mature adult and these values decreased slightly in the femurs from senescent rats. In contrast, the BMC of the femur distal metaphysis, representing trabecular bone, decreased markedly in the aged rat. The loss of trabecular bone was also evident from morphological examination of the distal metaphysis. These findings indicated that bone mineral loss with age was site specific in the rat femur. These studies provided additional evidence that the rat might serve as a useful animal model for specific experiments related to the pathogenesis of age-associated osteopenia.

• Research Organization: National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6498794
• Journal Information: J. Bone Miner. Res.; (United States), Vol. 3:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
FEMUR
SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
SKELETAL DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
DENSITY
MINERALS
RATS
ANIMALS
BODY
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
MAMMALS
ORGANS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RODENTS
SKELETON
TOMOGRAPHY
VERTEBRATES
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