Effects of thalidomide on the development of bone damage caused by prednisolone in rats.

Background: The methods used in treatment of osteoporosis induced by glucocorticosteroids are not effective enough. There is a need for new drugs which could be useful in counteracting the influence of glucocorticosteroids on osseous tissue. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of thalidomide on the development of osteoporosis induced by glucocorticoid (prednisolone) in rats.

Methods: The experiments were carried out on 3-month-old male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups: I--control rats; II--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po); III--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po) + thalidomide (15 mg/kg po); IV--prednisolone (10 mg/kg po) + thalidomide (60 mg/kg po). The drugs were administered for 3 weeks. The body mass gain, bone mass in the tibia, femur and L-4 vertebra, histomorphometric parameters of the tibia (width of osteoid, diaphysis transverse growth, area of the transverse cross-sectional of the bone marrow cavity and the cortical bone) and the femur (width of trabeculae, width of epiphyseal cartilage, diaphysis transverse growth, area of the transverse cross-sectional of the bone marrow cavity and the cortical bone) were studied.

Results: Prednisolone induced osteoporotic skeletal changes in mature male rats (decreases in the bone mass, the width of the periosteal and endosteal osteoid, the transverse cross-sectional area of the cortical bone, the width of trabeculae, and the diaphysis transverse growth were observed). Thalidomide administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg po inhibited the development of changes in macrometric and histomorphometric parameters induced by prednisolone in the skeletal system of rats.

Conclusion: The results may constitute indirect evidence for possible clinical trials conducted in order to define the possibility to apply thalidomide in treatment of bone diseases in humans.