title: Longitudinal assessment of oxytocin efficacy on bone and bone marrow fat masses in a rabbit osteoporosis model through 3.0-T magnetic resonance spectroscopy and micro-CT.
abstract: This study aims to longitudinally assess the effect of oxytocin on bone and bone fat masses using micro-CT, in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and histopathological adipocyte quantification. Early in vivo oxytocin (OT) treatment to the osteoporosis (OP) rabbit model may reliably inhibit bone degeneration and reduce bone marrow fat accumulation by decreasing marrow adipocyte size and density.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study aims to longitudinally assess the effect of early OT treatment on bone and bone fat masses in a rabbit OP model by comparing the results of MRS and micro-CT with histopathological findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty 20-week-old female rabbits were randomly assigned into three groups. The control and OP groups were subjected to either sham surgery or bilateral ovariectomy (OVX). The OT group was subcutaneously injected with OT daily from the second week after OVX for 8 weeks. The left proximal femurs of the rabbits were evaluated through MRS, micro-CT, and histopathological examination at 0, 4, 8, 10, and 12 weeks after operation. Differences in fat fraction (FF) values, micro-CT parameters, and calculated pathological marrow adipocytes among three groups were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FF values of the OP group significantly increased (p = 0.019), but the tissue mineral density (TMD) decreased (p = 0.037) from eighth week compared with those of the control group. The FF values of the OT group significantly decreased (p = 0.044), but the TMD values increased (p = 0.042) from eighth week compared with those of the OP group. The adypocyte diameter of the OT group significantly decreased (p = 0.041) from eighth week and then adypocyte density did so too from tenth week, compared with those of the OP group at the same time point. No difference in adypocyte calculation was found between the OT and control groups until the 12th week after operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early in vivo OT treatment slowed down bone deterioration and reduced bone marrow adiposity accumulation in a rabbit OP model, which is consistent with pathologic findings. OT treatment is a promising preventive OP therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010120:Oxytocics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D010120:Oxytocics; D010121:Oxytocin