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Erschienen in:
15.04.2020 | Original Article
The old sheep: a convenient and suitable model for senile osteopenia
verfasst von: Stefan Maenz, Olaf Brinkmann, Ines Hasenbein, Christina Braun, Elke Kunisch, Victoria Horbert, Francesca Gunnella, André Sachse, Sabine Bischoff, Harald Schubert, Klaus D. Jandt, Jörg Bossert, Dominik Driesch, Raimund W. Kinne, Matthias Bungartz
Erschienen in: Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism | Ausgabe 5/2020
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Introduction
Existing osteoporosis models in sheep exhibit some disadvantages, e.g., challenging surgical procedures, serious ethical concerns, failure of reliable induction of substantial bone loss, or lack of comparability to the human condition. This study aimed to compare bone morphological and mechanical properties of old and young sheep, and to evaluate the suitability of the old sheep as a model for senile osteopenia.
Materials and methods
The lumbar vertebral body L3 of female merino sheep with two age ranges, i.e., old animals (6–10 years; n = 41) and young animals (2–4 years; n = 40), was analyzed concerning its morphological and mechanical properties by bone densitometry, quantitative histomorphometry, and biomechanical testing of the corticalis and/or central spongious region.
Results
In comparison with young sheep, old animals showed only marginally diminished bone mineral density of the vertebral bodies, but significantly decreased structural (bone volume, − 15.1%; ventral cortical thickness, − 11.8%; lateral cortical thickness, − 12.2%) and bone formation parameters (osteoid volume, osteoid surface, osteoid thickness, osteoblast surface, all − 100.0%), as well as significantly increased bone erosion (eroded surface, osteoclast surface). This resulted in numerically decreased biomechanical properties (compressive strength; − 6.4%).
Conclusion
Old sheep may represent a suitable model of senile osteopenia with markedly diminished bone structure and formation, and substantially augmented bone erosion. The underlying physiological aging concept reduces challenging surgical procedures and ethical concerns and, due to complex alteration of different facets of bone turnover, may be well representative of the human condition.
