Minocycline impairment of both osteoid tissue removal and osteoclastic resorption in a synchronized model of remodeling in the rat

In addition to their antibacterial effects, tetracyclines may inhibit interstitial collagenase activity and bone resorption. These properties were assessed morphometrically using minocycline (25 and 50 mg/kg/day given by the IM route) in a rat model of synchronized remodeling in which osteoclastic resorption peaks 4 days after the activating event (the extractions of the upper molars) along the antagonist mandibular cortex, a zone undergoing physiologically active formation. During the first 2 days of activation, minocycline at the two doses impaired very significantly the disorganization of both the osteoid seam and the layer of osteoblasts, a prerequisite to give osteoclasts access to the mineralized bone surface. The number of readily identifiable osteoblasts decreased slightly during this period, suggesting that minocycline prevented their transformation into lining cells. Their synthetic activity, as estimated by the size of the cells and their nucleus, appeared relatively preserved too, mostly with the higher dose. At the peak of osteoclascia, the bone surfaces undergoing remodeling were significantly decreased in the minocycline-treated groups. The resorption surface was reduced (P < 0.0003) as well as the number of osteoclasts (P < 0.0007), which were also significantly smaller. Their resorbing activity was dramatically affected as well: they excavated lacunae whose area was significantly reduced by over 70%. In addition, formation was still a prominent activity in the treated animals. These data are compatible with the inhibition at the early stages of activation of an osteoblast-secreted collagenase whose action may be the elimination of the osteoid seam. The inhibition of an osteoclast collagenase and/or of a bone matrix bound-collagenase may be responsible for the reduction in lacunar size. A direct effect of minocycline on osteoclast resorptive activity may also participate in the low resorption profile, as tetracyclines are known to interfere with the intracellular Ca²⁺]. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.