Effects of thalidomide on the development of bone damage caused by prednisolone in rats.
BACKGROUND
The methods used in treatment of osteoporosis induced by glucocorticosteroids are not effective enough. There is a need for new drugs which could be useful in counteracting the influence of glucocorticosteroids on osseous tissue. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thalidomide on the development of osteoporosis induced by glucocorticoid (prednisolone) in rats.


METHODS
The experiments were carried out on 3-month-old male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups: I--control rats; II--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po); III--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po) + thalidomide (15 mg/kg po); IV--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po) + thalidomide (60 mg/kg po). The drugs were administered for 3 weeks. The body mass gain, bone mass in the tibia, femur and L-4 vertebra, histomorphometric parameters of the tibia (width of osteoid, diaphysis transverse growth, area of the transverse cross-sectional of the bone marrow cavity and the cortical bone) and the femur (width of trabeculae, width of epiphyseal cartilage, diaphysis transverse growth, area of the transverse cross-sectional of the bone marrow cavity and the cortical bone) were studied.


RESULTS
Prednisolone induced osteoporotic skeletal changes in mature male rats (decreases in the bone mass, the width of the periosteal and endosteal osteoid, the transverse cross-sectional area of the cortical bone, the width of trabeculae, and the diaphysis transverse growth were observed). Thalidomide administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg po inhibited the development of changes in macrometric and histomorphometric parameters induced by prednisolone in the skeletal system of rats.


CONCLUSIONS
The results may constitute indirect evidence for possible clinical trials conducted in order to define the possibility to apply thalidomide in treatment of bone diseases in humans.
Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Medical University of Silesia, Jagiellońska 4, PL 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland. farmafit@sum.edu.pl
Ilona
I
Kaczmarczyk-Sedlak
Maria
M
Zych
Katarzyna
K
Rotko
Lech
L
Sedlak
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013977:Tibia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D013792:Thalidomide; D011239:Prednisolone