Senile, post-menopausal or secondary osteoporosis weakens long bones by decreasing their mineral content and altering their structure. Animal models of osteoporosis allow assessing the efficacy and safety of novel anti-osteoporotic drugs.
Animal Models
Primary osteoporosis models:
• Ovariectomy in female rats
• Orchidectomy in male rats
Secondary osteoporosis models:
• Glucocorticoid treatment in rats
• Bone immobilization in rats
Three-dimensional reconstruction of rat femoral
structure. Courtesy of B-Cube.
Outcome Measures
A wide range of measurements can be performed such as:
- In vivo and ex vivo BMD and BMC measurements of cortical and trabecular bones by DEXA, pQCT and µCT
- Biomechanical testing
- Physiological bone turnover markers (blood, urine)
- Ash chemical analysis
- Histomorphometry, histology
MicroCT imaging of lumbar vertebral cancellous bone loss in the ovariectomised (OVX) rat.
Left: pre OVX. Right: 16 weeks post-OVX.