0012 - Alendronate Therapy Increases the Mechanical Properties of Canine Trabecular Bone

Introduction: Alendronate, a second generation bisphosphonate, is known to increase bone density by inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption. It is clincally used to treat osteoporosis, Paget’s disease and hypercalcemia associated with malignancy [1]. In clinical trials and animal studies, the effects are typically quantified by measuring bone mineral density. In this study, we sought to determine whether healthy canine bones exhibit increased structural or mechanical properties following alendronate treatment. We tested both whole long bones and trabecular bone samples, because a prior study with pamidronate had different findings with these two sample types [2]. We hypothesized that alendronate treatment would increase the structural properties of bones and mechanical properties of bone tissue in healthy dogs.