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Effects of long-term alendronate treatment on bone mineralisation, resorption parameters and biomechanics of single human vertebral trabeculae
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2014
Sprache
English
Institut
TORE-URI
Journal
Volume
28
Start Page
152
End Page
165
Citation
European Cells and Materials 28: 152-165 (2014)
Publisher DOI
Scopus ID
PubMed ID
25241965
Publisher
Univ. of Wales
Due to their well-established fracture risk reduction, bisphosphonates are the most frequently used therapeutic agent to treat osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates reduce fracture risk by suppressing bone resorption, but the lower bone turnover could have a negative impact on bone quality at the tissue level. Here, we directly assess the structural and mechanical characteristics of cancellous bone from the lumbar vertebrae (L5) in non-treated osteoporotic controls (n = 21), mid-term alendronate-treated osteoporotic patients (n = 6), and long-term alendronate-treated osteoporotic patients (n = 7). The strength and toughness of single trabeculae were evaluated, while the structure was characterised through measurements of microdamage accumulation, mineralisation distribution, and histological indices. The alendronate-treated cases had a reduced eroded surface (ES/BS, p < 0.001) and a higher bone mineralisation in comparison to non-treated controls (p = 0.037), which is indicative of low turnover associated with treatment. However, the amount of microdamage and the mechanical properties were similar among the control and treatment groups. As the tissue mineral density (TMD) increased significantly with alendronate treatment compared to non-treated osteoporotic controls, the reduction in resorption cavities could counterbalance the higher TMD allowing the alendronate-treated bone to maintain its mechanical properties and resist microdamage accumulation. A multivariate analysis of the possible predictors supports the theory that multiple factors (e.g., body mass index, TMD, and ES/BS) can impact the mechanical properties. Our results suggest that long-term alendronate treatment shows no adverse impact on mechanical cancellous bone characteristics.
Subjects
Alendronate
Histomorphometry
Microcomputed-tomography
Microdamage
Mineralisation
Osteoporosis
DDC Class
570: Biowissenschaften, Biologie
Funding Organisations
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BioAsset 01EC1005D)
More Funding Information
This project was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research by the grant ‘BMBF, BioAsset 01EC1005D’ to MA, KP, MMM and CCG and by the grant ‘BMBF, Osteopath 01EC1006’ to MA. BB is a fellow of the DFG – Emmy Noether program (Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft – German Research Foundation; BU 2562/2-1).
Forschungsgemeinschaft – German Research Foundation; BU 2562/2-1).