Sympathetic nervous system as transmitter of mechanical loading in bone

• Published in: Joint, bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme, 2003-12, Vol.70 (6), p.515-519
• Main Authors: Levasseur, Régis, Sabatier, Jean-Pierre, Potrel-Burgot, Céline, Lecoq, Bertrand, Creveuil, Christian, Marcelli, Christian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists - pharmacology; Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Bone and Bones - drug effects; Bone and Bones - innervation; Bone and Bones - physiology; Bone Density - drug effects; Bone Density - physiology; Bone mineral density; Bone Resorption - physiopathology; Female; Hind limb unloading; Mechanical load; Models, Animal; Osteogenesis - drug effects; Osteogenesis - physiology; Propranolol; Propranolol - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sympathetic nervous system; Sympathetic Nervous System - physiology
• ISSN: 1297-319X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2003.07.006

Sympathetic innervation has been demonstrated in bone. Adrenergic stimulation is one of the transmitters of bone loss by uncoupling between decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption. Objective. – By using a non-specific antagonist of β-adrenergic pathway (propranolol per os), we hypothesized that we could rescue the uncoupling induced mechanical unloading bone loss in the rat model of tail-suspension. Materials and methods. – Twenty-two female Wistar rats, 12 week-old, have been divided into three groups: eight tail-suspended rats (SR), six tail-suspended rats treated by propranolol (SRP) and eight non-suspended rats (NSR) during 30 days. Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm 2) has been measured by DXA (Hologic QDR-4500A) at D0 and D30 of the study, in the distal femoral metaphysis (DFM), the femoral diaphysis (FD), the whole body (WB, g) and body composition. Results. – Between D0 and D30, in DFM a significant variation in BMD is observed between NSR and SR (% BMD change: NSR +15.6 ± 3.1% vs SR –1.0 ± 1.4%, P