Changes in Bone Metabolism in Young Castrated Male Rats

PURPOSE: To determine the window of time during which osteoporosis affects the management of spinal surgery and the mechanism of bone metabolism changes in males with osteoporosis by examining changes in bone metabolism in young castrated male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into two study groups. Group 1 (control) received a sham surgery and Group 2 received bilateral orchiectomy to change bone mineral density (BMD). Serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and collagen type 1 cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX) were analyzed at postoperative date (POD) 8, 10, and 12 weeks. BMDs were measured using micro computed tomography scans. RESULTS: Femoral and lumbar BMDs were decreased in the orchiectomy groups. BMDs in the sham and orchiectomy groups showed statistically differences at POD 8, 10, and 12 weeks for the femur (p=0.032, 0.008, 0.008) and lumbar spine (p=0.151, 0.008, 0.008, respectively). Serum osteocalcin, ALP, and CTX decreased gradually; however, N-terminal type 1 procollagen (P1NP) showed a slight increase yet no significant change. CONCLUSION: In young castrated male rats, a significant decrease in BMD was observed after orchiectomy due to the mixture of two detrimental factors. Young castrated male rats did not reach peak BMD. Increased bone turnover causes bone resorption to exceed bone formation. This study may contribute to the creation of a valuable model for studies of male osteoporosis and the spinal surgery field.