Experimental study of glucocorticoid-induced rabbit osteoporosis

To study the effect of variant administration and cumulative dose of glucocorticoid on the skeleton, thirty male rabbits were divided into 5 groups, serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and N-terminal fragment of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and bone mineral content (BMC) were determined, The results showed no significant differences were observed between supplement calcium group and control group at the level of BMC and PTH (P > 0.05), but there were significantly decreased BMC and elevated PTH in other groups (P < 0.01), especially in the high-dose group. The results indicated that glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is associated with the steroid dose, and the pathogenesis is concerned with the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Alternate-day therapy can't prevent bone loss. Supplementation of calcium and vitamin D is an effective method for the prevention and treatment.