Bone protection by estrens occurs through non–tissue-selective activation of the androgen receptor
J. Clin. Invest. Sara H. Windahl, et al. 116:2500 doi:10.1172/JCI28809 [
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Figure 3Estren-α reduces bone resorption and bone formation in OVX female mice. Histomorphometric analysis was performed on tibiae, and urinary Dpyr concentration, a biochemical index of bone resorption, was measured in urine. All compounds were delivered by subcutaneous slow-release pellets. In contrast to E
2 and PSK3471 treatment, estren-α treatment decreased bone formation compared with OVX alone, as shown by the decreased osteoblast surface (OBS) as a percentage of trabecular bone surface (BS) (
A) and the bone formation rate (BFR/BS, μm
3/μm
2/yr) (
B). PSK3471 did not modify the bone formation; osteoblast surface and bone formation rate remained high in treated animals and were not significantly altered compared with those in OVX mice. Estren-α treatment also decreased the bone resorption compared with that in OVX mice as shown by the lowered osteoclast number (N.Oc/BS) (
C) and urinary Dpyr cross-links (
D). PSK3471 also decreased the osteoclast numbers compared with OVX alone, whereas under these experimental conditions, E
2 reduced Dpyr but not the number of osteoclasts. *
P < 0.05 and **
P < 0.01 versus OVX mice.
