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Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on May 27, 2007
Rheumatology 2007 46(8):1258-1262; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kem104
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Decreased bone strength in HLA-B27 transgenic rat model of spondyloarthropathy

M. P. Akhter1 and L. K. L. Jung1,2

1Medicine and 2Pediatric Rheumatology/Immunology, Creighton University and Children's Hospital Omaha, NE, USA.

Correspondence to: MP Akhter, PhD, ORC, Creighton University, Suite 4820, 610 N, 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. E-mail: akhtermp{at}creighton.edu


  Abstract

Objective. To investigate the nature of osteopenia/osteoporosis in spondyloarthropathy, an inflammatory disorder, using the HLA-B27 transgenic rat model.

Methods. HLA-B27 transgenic rats were housed individually and sacrificed at the peak of their disease (8-month-old). The spine and femurs were removed and stored in saline at –20°C until analysis. The bone structure and strength were determined using a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) device (Scanco Medical) and mechanical testing (Instron 5543). Vertebral bodies and femurs were scanned to determine trabecular structural properties in terms of bone volume (BV/TV), trabecular thickness, and spacing. After scanning, the mid-shaft femurs were subjected to a 3-point bending test (along anterior-posterior direction), the femoral necks were tested in bending, and the vertebral bodies (L4) were tested in compression. Structural (ultimate/yield load, stiffness) and apparent material (ultimate/yield stress, modulus) strength parameters were then determined.

Results. The majority of the bone structural and strength parameters were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the HLA-B27 transgenic rats as compared with control littermates. Micro-CT data suggested that the transgenic animals had lower BV/TV and trabecular thickness in their vertebral bodies. The poor trabecular structure observed in HLA-B27 rats is also indicative of the poor biomechanical strength properties in the vertebral bodies as well.

Conclusion. The HLA-B27 transgenic rats develop bone fragility similar to that seen in spondyloarthropathy and may be an important model for the study of osteoporosis in spondyloarthropathy.

KEY WORDS: Bone, Spondyloarthropathy, Transgenic rat, Femur, Vertebral body, Stiffness, Bone strength

Submitted 22 December 2006; revised version accepted 22 March 2007.
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