The role of carnitine on ovariectomy and inflammation-induced osteoporosis in rats

This study was carried out to assess the protective bone-sparing effect of carnitine with anti-inflammatory properties on chronic inflammation-induced bone loss in ovariectomised (OVX) rats. A total of 64 rats were divided into eight groups. Sixteen rats were sham-operated (SH) while the others were ovariectomised (OVX). (1) SH, (2) sham+inflammation (SHinf), (3) OVX, (4) ovariectomy+inflammation (OVXinf), (5) OVX+CAR1, (6) OVX+CAR2, (7) OVXinf+CAR1, (8) OVXinf+CAR2. After the ovariectomy surgery, all the groups (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) were allowed to recover for two months. Sixty days after the OVX, inflammation was induced by subcutaneous injections of talc in groups 2, 4, 7, and 8. Group 5 and 7 were given 50 mg/kg CAR; Group 6 and 8 were given 100 mg/kg CAR from the 60th to the 80th day. Serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6, OP, and OC were assessed to determine inflammation and to evaluate osteoblastic activity. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in femur bones of rats. Carnitine administration was able to restore BMD up to values measured in both the OVX and the SH animals. The serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 were increased significantly in the OVXinf rats compared with the SH group. In OVX rats, inflammation which is evaluated by serum cytokine levels exacerbated this bone loss, as supported by values of BMD of the total femur. The two different doses of carnitine reduced bone loss and improved inflammatory biomarkers.