Effect of sex steroids on peak bone density of growing rabbits.

To determine the effect of sex hormones on bone density (BD) during growth, longitudinal quantitative computed tomography (QCT) measurements were obtained in growing, castrated New Zealand White rabbits following administration of normal saline, testosterone, or estrogen from 6 wk of age until the time of skeletal maturity. Vertebral QCT densities increased during growth, were highest at the time of epiphyseal closure, and were significantly greater (P less than 0.001) in hormone-treated animals. In vivo QCT measurements in 12 vertebraes correlated strongly (r = 0.92) with percentage of calcium per weight assessed in vitro by neutron activation analysis.