Strontium treatment in an avian model increases μCT indices of bone and has no significant effect on structural properties

Abstract

Genetic selection for accelerated growth in broiler chickens has increased demands on skeletal integrity and resulted in high incidence of cortical bone fracture. Strontium (Sr) has been reported to enhance bone formation and strength. An experiment was conducted with chicks to examine the effect of Sr on structural and architectural properties of bone. Day-old chickens were divided into three groups of thirty and fed commercial rations supplemented with either 0, 1200, or 2400 ppm Sr as carbonate. Dietary treatments did not affect body weight. Femurs and tibiae collected at six weeks showed significantly higher radiographic densities with Sr but no significant improvement was observed in ultimate load and work to failure as measured by three-point bending test. Dose-dependent increases of μCT measurement of cortical bone volume fraction were detected in femurs (88.3, 91.7, and 93.4 % for 0, 1200, and 2400 ppm Sr, respectively; p<0.05). The results of our studies show that supplementing diet with Sr improves density and μCT indices of bone but has negligible effects on mechanical properties of chicken bones. This research was supported by Walther H. Ott Endowment in Avian Biology.