Morphometric analysis of rat femurs submitted to the use of dexamethasone and the consumption of curcumin and symbiotics

Abstract

The aim was to analyze whether the deleterious effects of dexamethasone on bone can be prevented or mitigated by using curcumin and the symbiotic concomitantly. The rats were divided into control (CT), dexamethasone (D), dexamethasone curcumin (DC), dexamethasone symbiotic (DS) and dexamethasone symbiotic/curcumin (DCS) groups. The thickness, area, and area fraction of the bone trabeculae of the femoral head were measured. The CT group showed greater trabecular thickness when compared to the D and DS groups. The thicknesses of the DC and DCS groups were greater than those of the DS group. The area and area fraction were smaller in groups D, DC and DS compared to CT. It can be concluded that curcumin, when consumed in isolation, had a slight effect on maintaining the thickness of trabecular bone. Considering its action on the structuring of the trabecular area, it is not possible to establish a clear relationship between its benefit for bone preservation and its interference with bone cell activity.