Whole-body periodic acceleration: a new countermeasure against bone loss induced by long-term hindlimb unloading
摘要
The primary objective of this study was to determine the impact of whole-body periodic acceleration (WBPA) as a countermeasure on preventing bone loss caused by hindlimb unloading. 48 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into four groups: (1) control group (C, n = 12), (2) hindlimb unloading group (HU, n = 12), (3) hindlimb unloading + WBPA group (HU + WBPA, n = 12), and (4) hindlimb unloading + flat rest group (HU + FR, n = 12). WBPA consisted of 1 h of acceleration stimulation, administered once daily using a specially designed training device. After 28 days of hindlimb unloading, Micro-CT analyses showed significant decreases in bone mineral density (BMD, p < 0.0001), bone volume to tissue volume (BV/TV, p < 0.0001), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th, p < 0.0001) of femoral cancellous bone and cortical area (Ct.Ar, p < 0.0001) of femoral cortical bone. The application of WBPA for 1 h/day, significantly increased BMD (p < 0.05), BV/TV (p < 0.05) and Tb.Th (p < 0.0001) of femoral cancellous bone, relative to HU. Three-point bending test of HU femurs showed reduced maximum load (p < 0.0001), elastic load (p < 0.0001) and energy absorption (N.mm) (p < 0.0001). In comparison to HU, WBPA-treated bone showed increased maximum load (p < 0.0001), elastic load (p < 0.0001) and energy absorption (p < 0.001). In summary, this study demonstrates the potential of WBPA as an innovative solution to combat bone loss caused by long-term hindlimb unloading.