title: The relationship of nutritional copper to the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis in rats.
abstract: Factors that influence tissue copper concentration include age, diet, hormones, and pregnancy. In this study we altered diet independently, hormone (estrogen) independently, and various combinations of diet and hormone in animals of the same age to study the effects of ovariectomy complicated with dietary copper deficiency; a deficiency that has been demonstrated to cause bone defects. Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on various combinations of copper deficient or enriched diets before and/or after ovariectomy to determine if copper deficiency aggravated osteoporosis and if return to a copper-adequate diet alleviated it. In this study, ovariectomy did induce an osteopenia that was characterized by decreased trabecular bone. This osteopenia was slightly more severe with copper deficiency, but was not necessarily alleviated by the return of normal copper levels to the diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kubena
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Champney
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Sampson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D004958:Estradiol; D003300:Copper; D002118:Calcium