ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the current status of animal models that address osteoporosis and osteopenia and then recommends strategies for applying them. An animal model of osteoporosis should have lengthy growing and adult skeletal phases. Today’s excellent animal models of estrogen-depletion bone loss exhibit no low trauma fractures of critical bone sites. Experimental and cohort data from humans with disuse osteopenia is first reviewed to place the data from animal models in proper perspective. Arthritis and non-articular inflammation can be induced in laboratory animals to create osteopenia. These models are relevant to the morphologic and biomechanical study of bone loss, including bone remodeling, bone cellular activity, microstructure, mineralization and various aspects of bone strength. A series of experiments performed in the carrageenan-injection model has elucidated mechanisms of fracture risk that may have relevance to clinical problems due to osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
