| Scope and method of study. Vitamin E at a moderately high dose in the diet was shown previously to improve the biomechanical and biochemical properties of bone in old male mice. The present study was conducted to evaluate whether vitamin E can exert bone-sparing effects on osteopenic male rats using an orchidectomized rat model of osteoporasis. Forty 12-month old male Sprague-Dawley rats were either sham-operated (Sham) or orchidectomized (Orx), and fed control diet for 120 days to establish bone loss. Thereafter, rats were assigned to their corresponding treatment groups (n = 10): Sham and one Orx group received 75 IU vit E (controls), other Orx rats received 250 or 500 IU vit E per kg diet for 90 days. After 90 days of treatment, rats were necropsied and tissues were collected. Bone mineral content (BMC), and density (BMD) of whole body, 4th lumbar vertebra and right femur were measured using DXA.; Findings and conclusions. The significant losses of BMD and BMC in the whole body, right femur and 4th lumbar due to ORX were not prevented by vitamin E treatments. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
