Osteoporosis (OP) represents a major public health problem worldwide, and this burden is growing with increasing life expectancy. Postmenopausal OP is a common disease with a spectrum ranging from asymptomatic bone loss to disabling hip fracture. At menopause estrogen deficiency impairs the normal remodeling cycle by increasing osteoclastic resorption activity without a corresponding increase in osteoblastic activity and the amount of bone resorbed therefore is greater than the amount deposited leading to a net loss of bone.
Several drugs have been reported to contribute to the reversal of bone loss, for example, by favoring osteogenesis or through antiresorptive effects. Therapies developed to treat bone diseases in humans are either antiresorptive or anabolic agents. For most of these drugs, if not all, no very good results have been reported. As OT has already been safely administered to patients for other indications, it represents a highly promising molecule in osteoporosis
Aim of the work: To clarify the possible protective effect of oxytocin hormone in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats.
Material and methods: 30 adult female albino rats were subjected either to bilateral ovariectomies (OVX) or to sham surgery. Two weeks after being ovariectomized, rats were received Intraperitoneal OT for 7 weeks. Serum levels of oxytocin, alkaline phosphate (ALP) and Bone mineral density (BMD) were also measured with DEXA. Histological examination to the head of the tibial bone was bone.
Results: Osteoporotic rats had significantly lower oxytocin, higher ALP measures and the lowest DEXA measurements. OT treated rats showed normal ALP levels and marked improved DEXA measurements.
Conclusion: OT has an intense outcome on bone, so that OT can be used as a preventive strategy in post menopausal females.