Bone
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Comparative Study
Neuropathy-induced osteopenia in rats is not due to a reduction in weight born on the affected limb.
Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) are associated with clinical neuropathies. Following nerve injury in the rat, there is a loss of BMD, which may be related to nerve injury or reduced mechanical loading. The purpose of this study was to investigate if altered mechanical loading is solely responsible for the observed loss of BMD in neuropathic pain models. ⋯ Lack of correlation between neuropathy-induced bone loss and weight bearing demonstrates that the bone loss is not simply a function of reduced mechanical loading and suggests that altered bone-nerve signaling is involved. Furthermore, chronic bisphosphonate treatment inhibits neuropathy-induced osteopenia without affecting behavioral measurements of neuropathic pain. This indicates that osteopenia is not directly related to neuropathic pain behaviors.