Changes in bone volume and bone resorption by olpadronate treatment in an experimental model of uremic bone disease

Thirty male adult Wistar rats (300-/+10 g body weight) underwent either 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx, n=20) or sham operation (SHAM, n=10) to determine olpadronate effects in an experimental model of uremic bone disease. For a 38-day period, 10 rats received olpadronate (16microg/100g bw) once a week (Nx+OPD) and the other vehicle (Nx). SHAM received vehicle. At baseline, treatment onset (t=7 days) and end of study (t=45 days) calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, bone alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP) and deoxypyridinoline crosslinks (DPyr) were determined. At t=0 and t=45 bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by DXA. At t=45 the right tibia was removed for bone histology. There were no differences in serum calcium. Phosphorus increased in Nx and Nx+OPD compared to SHAM (p