Response of cortical and cancellous bones to mild calcium deficiency in young growing female rats: a bone histomorphometry study.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the differences in the alterations of cellular activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, mineralization, and bone mass in cortical and cancellous bones of young growing rats with mild calcium deficiency. Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats, 6 weeks of age, were randomized by the stratified method into two groups with 10 rats in each group: 0.5% (normal) calcium diet group and 0.1% (low) calcium diet group. After 10 weeks of feeding, bone histomorphometric analysis was performed on cancellous bone of the proximal tibia as well as cortical bone of the tibial shaft. Calcium deficiency increased eroded surface (ES/bone surface [BS]) and the number of osteoclast (N.Oc/BS) with an increase in osteoblast surface (ObS/BS), but decreased bone formation rate (BFR/BS) in cancellous bone. However, cancellous bone volume was preserved, while cortical bone area was decreased as a result of decreased periosteal bone gain and enlargement of the marrow cavity. These results suggest that short-term mild calcium deficiency in young growing female rats increased bone resorption by increasing osteoclastic recruitment, and suppressed mineralization followed by increased osteoblastic recruitment in cancellous bone, but cancellous bone loss was counteracted through redistribution of calcium from cortical bone to cancellous bone.