BONE-MINERAL DENSITY IN A RAT MODEL OF NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

Although osteopenia has been accepted as one of the chronic complicati ons of diabetes mellitus, the change of bone mineral density (BMD) in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is controversial, due at least in part to the heterogeneity of human NIDDM. For further unde rstanding of osteopenia associated with NIDDM, investigations using an animal model of NIDDM will afford powerful information, In this study , we measured BMD of the extracted femur of Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushim a Fatty (OLETF) rats, a new rat model of spontaneous development of NI DDM. Femoral bone length was significantly shorter in OLETF rats than in control rats (p < 0.01). BMD of the femur, measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and corrected for bone width, was also significan tly lower in OLETF rats than in control rats (p < 0.01). The lower BMD was observed in the proximal femur (p < 0.005) and femoral diaphysis (p < 0.01), but not in the distal femur compared to LETO rats, These d ata not only indicate that OLETF rats could be a useful animal model f or NIDDM-associated osteopenia, but also suggest that reduced bone min eral associated with hyperglycemia is heterogeneous depending on the s ite of the bone. (C) 1997, Editrice Kurtis.