1. ¹Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2. ²Medical School and the Institute of Medical Technology, 33014 University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
3. ³Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
4. ⁴Department of Ophthalmology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
5. ⁵Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
6. ⁶Bone Research Group, UKK-Institute, Tampere, Finland
7. ⁷Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
8. ⁸Department of Trauma, Musculoskeletal Surgery and Rehabilitation, Division of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland

Correspondence: Teppo LN Järvinen, University of Tampere, Medical School, 33014 Tampere, Tampere, Finland. E-mail: teppo.jarvinen@uta.fi

Received 24 September 2007; Revised 6 February 2008; Accepted 19 February 2008; Published online 7 May 2008.

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of the bisphosphonate pamidronate on bone histomorphometry, structure and strength in male rats with uninephrectomy or with chronic renal disease induced by 5/6 nephrectomy. In rats with chronic renal disease the plasma urea, phosphate and parathyroid hormone levels were significantly increased compared to rats with a uninephroctomy and none of these parameters was affected by pamidronate treatment. In the femoral midshaft, chronic renal disease reduced cortical bone mineral density and content. No difference was observed in the breaking load of the femoral midshaft. In the distal femur, a high-turnover renal osteodystrophy was found but pamidronate suppressed this bone turnover and increased bone mineral content. Treatment had no effect on chronic disease-induced augmentation of osteoid volume or fibroblast surface. These studies show that in this model of stage 3 renal disease, pamidronate increased mineral content in the femoral midshaft and distal metaphysis primarily by adding bone to endocortical and trabecular surfaces but did not reduce osteitis fibrosa.