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Skeletal deterioration following ovarian failure: can some features be a direct consequence of estrogen loss while others are more related to physical inactivity?

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Abstract

Findings on experimental animals show that ovarian failure is a ccompanied by a decrease in motor activity. As mechanical loading has a vital role in the maintenance of skeletal health, our aim was to determine to what extent this decrease in motor activity contributes to ovariectomy-induced bone loss. Thirty-two female Wistar rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated and housed in standard cages or with access to running wheels for 36 weeks with their running distance monitored. Markers of bone turnover were assayed in the serum, and bone geometry, trabecular and cortical bone microarchitecture, mineralization degree, and biomechanical properties were assessed in the femur. Differences between groups were determined by one-way ANOVA. Although reduced motor activity and sex steroid deficiency both resulted in decreases in trabecular bone volume, trabecular number decreases were mostly associated with sex steroid deficiency, whereas trabecular thickness decreases were mostly associated with sedentary behavior. Cortical bone appeared to be more sensitive to variations in motor activity, whereas bone turnover rate and bone tissue mineralization degree seemed to be primarily affected by sex steroid deficiency, even though they were further aggravated by sedentary behavior. Increases in femur length were mostly a consequence of sex steroid deficiency, whereas femoral neck length was also influenced by sedentary behavior. Differences in mechanical properties resulted mostly from differences in physical activity. Both the direct effect of sex steroid deficiency and the indirect effect of motor activity changes are implicated in bone loss following ovariectomy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Celeste Resende and Teresa Caldeira for their technical assistance and Robert Berry for kindly reviewing the manuscript. This work was funded by Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FTC) grants PTDC/DES/103047/2008 and PTDC/DES/104567/2008 and scholarships SFRH/BPD/78259/2011 and SFRH/BPD/90010/2012. The Research Centre on Physical Activity Health and Leisure (CIAFEL) is supported by Pest-OE/SAU/UI0617/2011.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIAFEL, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa 91, 4200-450, Porto, Portugal

    Hélder Fonseca, Daniel Moreira-Gonçalves & José Alberto Duarte

  2. Escola Superior de Saude, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Francisco Amado

  3. INEGI, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    José L. Esteves

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  1. Hélder Fonseca
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  2. Daniel Moreira-Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Hélder Fonseca.

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Fonseca, H., Moreira-Gonçalves, D., Amado, F. et al. Skeletal deterioration following ovarian failure: can some features be a direct consequence of estrogen loss while others are more related to physical inactivity?. J Bone Miner Metab 33, 605–614 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-014-0626-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-014-0626-2

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