Effects of promethazine on bone mass and on bone remodeling in ovariectomized rats: A morphometric, densitometric, and histomorphometric experimentalstudy
H. Rico et al., Effects of promethazine on bone mass and on bone remodeling in ovariectomized rats: A morphometric, densitometric, and histomorphometric experimentalstudy, CALCIF TIS, 65(4), 1999, pp. 272-275
The effect of promethazine on bone is debated. We studied the effect of pro
methazine on bone and the mechanism of action involved by densitometric and
histomorphometric measurements in female Wistar rats (100 days old, mean w
eight 25 +/- 20 g). A control group of 15 rats was not manipulated. An expe
rimental group of 15 rats were ovariectomized (OVX) at 100 days of life and
fed a diet supplemented with 4.8 mg/kg promethazine hydrochloride (OVX + F
rom). The group that underwent OVX and a group of 15 rats that underwent sh
am ovariectomy (Sham-OVX) were not treated with promethazine. After 30 days
, all the rats were killed. Their femur and 5th lumbar vertebra were dissec
ted and cleaned of soft tissue. Femoral length and vertebral height were me
asured with a caliper and bones were weighed on a precision balance. The bo
ne mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the whole right
femurs and 5th lumbar vertebras were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorpti
ometry (DXA). Trabecular bone volume (Cn-BV-TV%), trabecular number (Tb-N m
m(-1)), trabecular thickness (Tb-Th mu m), and trabecular mm separation (Tb
-Sp mu m) were measured in the femurs by histomorphometric study of nondeca
lcified bone. Our re; suits showed that promethazine significantly inhibite
d postovariectomy loss of bone mass (P < 0.0001) by significantly reducing
bone resorption, as shown by the smaller trabecular spaces observed in the
treated OVX rats (P < 0.0001).