Efecto del Carbonato de Litio en el Hueso Subcondral de Ratas Ovariectomizadas

PAEZ H; LEWICKI M; BARATA A; MANDALUNIS PM

Potrero de los Funes, San Luis

Congreso; XXXVI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Odontológica; 2003

SAIO

Osteoporosis is characterized by decrease of bone mass and deteriorated bone microarchitecture. Chronic use of drugs, as is the case of lithium carbonate therapy for patients with bipolar affective disorders has not been extensively studied. Thus, and in view of the lack of experimental studies on the issue, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of lithium carbonate intake on bone tissue in ovariectomizaed animals. Twenty seven Wistar rats aged between 3 and 4 months and weighing between 215 and 240 g were assigned to one of 4 groups: Group I: Sham, Group II (OVX),: Ovariectomized animals (OVX), Group III (Li): Animals receiving 45 mg/kg body weight of lithium carbonate (in drinking water) since day 15 of the experiment and during 3 months. Group IV (OVX+Li): Ovariectomized animals receiving the same lithium treatment as animals in Group III. After sacrifice, tibiae were resected, fixed in buffered formalin, decalcified in EDTA and embedded in paraffin. Sections were obtained and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and TRAP (tartrate resistant acid phosphatase) histochemistry. Histomorphometric parameters: bone volume and activity (bone formation and bone erosion), were evaluated on digitalized photographs of the sections. The histomorphometric evaluation showed that bone volume was significantly lower in Li (16,8±2,96), OVX (12,3±2,78) and OVX+Li (9,57±1,69) animals compared with Sham group (23,89 ± 4,29). Bone erosion was increased in Li group and no differences was found in TRAP activity between the groups. The results show in this experimental model that lithium carbonate produces decrease of the bone volume in healthly animals and additive effect in the animals with ovariectomy causing an severe osteopenia. UBACYT O013