Open Access

Orally administered simvastatin partially preserves lumbar vertebral bone mass but not integrity of intervertebral discs in ovariectomized rats

  • Authors:
    • Fa‑Ming Tian
    • Shu‑Yang Li
    • Kai Yang
    • Yang Luo
    • Mu‑Wei Dai
    • Guang‑Yuan Liu
    • Hui‑Ping Song
    • Liu Zhang
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: January 13, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2017.4043
  • Pages: 877-884
  • Copyright: © Tian et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of orally administered simvastatin on lumbar vertebral bone mass and intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. A total of 30 female Sprague‑Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to either bilateral ovariectomy (n=20) or sham surgery (n=10). After 12 weeks, the OVX rats were orally administered either saline vehicle (OVX + V group; n=10), or 5 mg/kg/day simvastatin (OVX + SIM group; n=10). Following 12 weeks of treatment, necropsy was conducted and bone mineral density (BMD) was determined in the L5‑6 vertebrae. Furthermore, the microstructure and biomechanical properties of the L3 vertebrae were detected by micro‑computed tomography and compression testing, respectively. The L5‑6 vertebrae were analyzed by measurement of IVD height, observation of histological changes by van Gieson staining, and evaluation of collagen‑II (col‑II), aggrecan (AGG) and collagen I (col‑I) expression by immunohistochemical analysis. Rats in the OVX+V group had lower BMD, bone volume/trabecular volume ratio, maximum load and elastic modulus than the sham group. Rats in the OVX + SIM group had higher BMD and biomechanical strength values than the rats in the OVX+V group. Histological analysis showed that the OVX + V and OVX + SIM groups exhibited significantly higher disc degeneration scores and significantly lower IVD height than the sham group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed lower expression levels of col‑II and AGG, but higher levels of col‑I in the annulus fibrosis and endplate in OVX+V rats compared with the sham group. The OVX + SIM group exhibited levels of col‑II, AGG and col‑I expression comparable with those of OVX+V rats, with the exception of an upregulation of col‑II expression in the annulus fibrosis. These data demonstrate that simvastatin treatment partially prevented bone loss and the deterioration of biomechanical properties of lumbar vertebrae, but not the progression of IVD degeneration in OVX rats.
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March-2017
Volume 13 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Tian FM, Li SY, Yang K, Luo Y, Dai MW, Liu GY, Song HP and Zhang L: Orally administered simvastatin partially preserves lumbar vertebral bone mass but not integrity of intervertebral discs in ovariectomized rats. Exp Ther Med 13: 877-884, 2017
APA
Tian, F., Li, S., Yang, K., Luo, Y., Dai, M., Liu, G. ... Zhang, L. (2017). Orally administered simvastatin partially preserves lumbar vertebral bone mass but not integrity of intervertebral discs in ovariectomized rats. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 13, 877-884. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2017.4043
MLA
Tian, F., Li, S., Yang, K., Luo, Y., Dai, M., Liu, G., Song, H., Zhang, L."Orally administered simvastatin partially preserves lumbar vertebral bone mass but not integrity of intervertebral discs in ovariectomized rats". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 13.3 (2017): 877-884.
Chicago
Tian, F., Li, S., Yang, K., Luo, Y., Dai, M., Liu, G., Song, H., Zhang, L."Orally administered simvastatin partially preserves lumbar vertebral bone mass but not integrity of intervertebral discs in ovariectomized rats". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 13, no. 3 (2017): 877-884. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2017.4043