Effects of perindopril on bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in osteoporotic rats

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of peridopril on osteoporosis and possible mechanisms involved. Methods Fifty experimental rats were divided into a normal control group, a sham operation group(Sham group), an ovariectomized group(OVX group), a perindopril group and an estrogen group(E2 group), with ten in each group.The perindopril group was intragastrically administered perindopril 4 mg/kg per day, the E2 group was intragastrically administered estrogen 1.2 mg/kg per day, and rats in the normal control group, the sham group and the OVX group were intragastrically given an equal volume of distilled water.Drugs were given once a day for 12 weeks.After 12 weeks of drug intervention, all rats were anaesthetized and 12 ml blood was extracted from the heart, and serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase(ALP)and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRACP)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.The bone mineral density(BMD)of the left femur was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results After 4 weeks of drug intervention, the femur BMD was lower in the OVX group than in the sham operation group and the normal control group(F=12.224, P 0.05). After 12 weeks of drug intervention, serum Ca and P levels had no significant difference between the groups(P>0.05). ALP and TRACP levels in the OVX group were (192.30±14.50) U/L and (12.7±1.72) U/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the sham operation group(P<0.01). ALP and TRACP levels in the perindopril group were (169.00±10.14) U/L and (10.19±1.24) U/L, respectively, which were lower than those in the OVX group(P<0.05). ALP and TRACP levels in the E2 group were (130.76±9.47) U/L and (7.04±0.96) U/L, respectively, which were lower than those in the OVX group(P<0.01). BMD in the OVX group was (0.161±0.011) g/cm2, which was lower than that in the sham operation group(P<0.01). BMD in the perindopril group was (0.173±0.011) g/cm2, which was higher than that in the OVX group(P<0.05). After estrogen treatment, BMD of the E2 group was (0.196±0.008) g/cm2, which was higher than that in the OVX group(P<0.01). Conclusions Perindopril can decrease high bone turnover, increase bone density in ovariectomized rats, and thus may be used for alleviating postmenopausal osteoporosis. Key words: Perindopril; Osteoporosis; Bone density; Alkaline phosphatase