Micro-scale assessment of bone quality changes in adult cadaveric men with congestive hepatopathy

AbstractCongestive hepatopathy (CH) is a chronic liver disease (CLD) caused by impaired hepatic venous blood outflow, most frequently resulting from congestive heart failure. Although it is known that heart failure and CLDs contribute to increased risk for age-related fractures, an assessment of CH-induced skeletal alterations has not been made to date. The aim of our study was to characterize changes in bone quality in adult male  cadavers with pathohistologically confirmed CH compared with controls without liver disease. The anterior mid-transverse part of the fifth lumbar vertebral body was collected from 33 adult male cadavers (age range 43–89 years), divided into the CH group (n = 15) and the control group (n = 18). We evaluated trabecular and cortical micro-architecture and bone mineral content (using micro-computed tomography), bone mechanical competence (using Vickers micro-hardness tester), vertebral cellular indices (osteocyte lacunar network and bone marrow adiposity), and osteocytic sclerostin and connexin 43 expression levels (using immunohistochemistry staining and analysis). Deterioration in trabecular micro-architecture, reduced trabecular and cortical mineral content, and decreased Vickers microhardness were noted in the CH group (p< 0.05). Reduced total number of osteocytes and declined connexin 43 expression levels (p< 0.05) implied that harmed mechanotransduction throughout the osteocyte network might be present in CH. Moreover, elevated express...
Source: Histochemistry and Cell Biology - Category: Biomedical Science Source Type: research