Relationship between the v₂PO₄/amide III ratio assessed by Raman spectroscopy and the calcium content measured by quantitative backscattered electron microscopy in healthy human osteonal bone.

Raman microspectroscopy and quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI) of bone are powerful tools to investigate bone material properties. Both methods provide information on the degree of bone matrix mineralization. However, a head-to-head comparison of these outcomes from identical bone areas has not been performed to date.

Bone material properties in premenopausal women with idiopathic osteoporosis.

Idiopathic osteoporosis (IOP) in premenopausal women is characterized by fragility fractures at low or normal bone mineral density (BMD) in otherwise healthy women with normal gonadal function. Histomorphometric analysis of transiliac bone biopsy samples has revealed microarchitectural deterioration of cancellous bone and thinner cortices. To examine bone material quality, we measured the bone mineralization density distribution (BMDD) in biopsy samples by quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI), and mineral/matrix ratio, mineral crystallinity/maturity, relative proteoglycan content, and collagen cross-link ratio at actively bone forming trabecular surfaces by Raman microspectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) techniques.

Effects of alendronate and risedronate on bone material properties in actively forming trabecular bone surfaces.

We used Raman and Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIRM) analysis to examine the intrinsic bone material properties at actively bone-forming trabecular surfaces in iliac crest biopsies from women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) who were treated with either alendronate (ALN) or risedronate (RIS). At eight study sites, women were identified who had postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), were at least 5 years postmenopause, and had been on long-term therapy (either 3-5 years or >5 years) with daily or weekly ALN or RIS. Following standard tetracycline labeling, biopsies were collected from 102 women (33 treated with ALN for 3-5 years [ALN-3], 35 with ALN for >5 years [ALN-5], 26 with RIS for 3-5 years [RIS-3], and 8 with RIS for >5 years [RIS-5]) and were analyzed at anatomical areas of similar tissue age in bone-forming areas (within the fluorescent double labels).