Effect of Concurrent Use of Whole-Body Vibration and Parathyroid Hormone on Bone Structure and Material Properties of Ovariectomized Mice

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of whole-body vibration (WBV) and intermittent parathyroid hormone (iPTH) in combination against estrogen deficiency-induced osteoporosis. Female C57BL/6J mice were bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX, n = 40) or sham-operated (sham-OVX, n = 8) at 9 weeks of age. Two weeks later, the OVX mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 each): the control group (c-OVX) and groups treated with iPTH (p-OVX), WBV (w-OVX) and both (pw-OVX). The p-OVX and pw-OVX groups were given human PTH (1–34) at a dose of 30 μg/kg/day. The w-OVX and pw-OVX groups were exposed to WBV at an acceleration of 0.3 g and 45 Hz for 20 min/day. All mice were euthanized after the 18-day treatment, and the left tibiae were harvested. The proximal metaphyseal region was μCT-scanned, and its cortical bone cross-section was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and nanoindentation testing. A single application of iPTH or WBV to OVX mice had no effect on bone structure or material properties of cortical bone, which were compromised in comparison with those in sham-OVX mice. The combination of iPTH and WBV improved trabecular bone volume, thickness and connectivity in OVX mice. Although the combined treatment failed to improve cortical bone structure, its mineral maturity and hardness restored to the levels observed in sham-OVX mice. There was no evidence of interaction between the two treatments, and the combined effects seemed to be additive. These results suggest combining WBV with iPTH has potential for treating postmenopausal osteoporosis.

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Calcified Tissue International. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-015-0104-4.