title: Effects of vitamin K2 administration on calcium balance and bone mass in young rats fed normal or low calcium diet.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of vitamin K2 administration on calcium balance and bone mass in young rats fed a normal or low calcium diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats, 6 weeks of age, were randomized by stratified weight method into four groups with 10 rats in each group: 0.5% (normal) calcium diet, 0.1% (low) calcium diet, 0.5% calcium diet + vitamin K2 (menatetrenone, 30 mg/100 g chow diet), and 0.1% calcium diet + vitamin K2. After 10 weeks of feeding, serum calcium and calciotropic hormone levels were measured, and intestinal calcium absorption and renal calcium reabsorption were evaluated. Bone histomorphometric analyses were performed on cortical bone of the tibial shaft and cancellous bone of the proximal tibia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Feeding a low calcium diet induced hypocalcemia, increased serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] levels with decreased serum 25-hydrovyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level, stimulated intestinal calcium absorption and renal calcium reabsorption, and reduced cortical bone mass as a result of decreased periosteal bone gain and enlarged marrow cavity, but did not significantly influence cancellous bone mass. Vitamin K2 administration in rats fed a low calcium diet stimulated renal calcium reabsorption, retarded the abnormal elevation of serum PTH level, increased cancellous bone mass, and retarded cortical bone loss, while vitamin K2 administration in rats fed a normal calcium diet stimulated intestinal calcium absorption by increasing serum 1,25(OH)2D level, and increased cortical bone mass.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study clearly shows the differential response of calcium balance and bone mass to vitamin K2 administration in rats fed a normal or low calcium diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. jiwamoto@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D024482:Vitamin K 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D024482:Vitamin K 2; D014807:Vitamin D; D010758:Phosphorus; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D003404:Creatinine; D002117:Calcitriol; D002118:Calcium