Temporal modifications in bone following spinal cord injury in rats

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal modifications in bone mass, bone biomechanical properties and bone morphology in spinal cord injured rats 2, 4 and 6 weeks after a transection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Control animals were randomly distributed into four groups (n = 10 each group): control group (CG) – control animals sacrificed immediately after surgery; spinal cord-injured 2 weeks (2W) – spinal cord-injured animals sacrificed 2 weeks after surgery; spinal cord-injured 4 weeks (4W) – spinal cord-injured animals sacrificed 4 weeks after surgery; spinal cord-injured 6 weeks (6W) – spinal cord-injured animals sacrificed 6 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: Biomechanical properties of the right tibia were determined by a three-point bending test and injured animals showed a statistically significant decrease in maximal load compared to control animals. The right femur was used for densitometric analysis and bone mineral content of the animals sacrificed 4 and 6 weeks after surgery was significantly higher compared to the control animals and animals sacrificed 2 weeks after surgery. Histopathological and morphological analysis of tibiae revealed intense resorptive areas in the group 2 weeks after injury only. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that this rat model is a valuable tool to investigate bone remodeling processes specifically associated with SCI. Taken together, our results suggest that spinal cord injury induced bone loss within 2 weeks after injury in rats.