Effect of vitamin K2 and growth hormone on the long bones in hypophysectomized young rats: a bone histomorphometry study

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether vitamin K₂ and growth hormone (GH) had an additive effect on the long bones in hypophysectomized young rats. Forty-eight female Sprague–Dawley rats (6 weeks old) were assigned to the following five groups by the stratified weight randomization method: intact controls, hypophysectomy (HX) alone, HX + vitamin K₂ (30 mg/kg, p.o., daily), HX + GH (0.625 mg/kg, s.c., 5 days a week), and HX + vitamin K₂ + GH. The duration of the experiment was 4 weeks. HX resulted in a reduction of the cancellous bone volume/total tissue volume (BV/TV) at the proximal tibial metaphysis, as well as decreasing the total tissue area and cortical area of the tibial diaphysis. These changes resulted from a decrease of the longitudinal growth rate and the bone formation rate (BFR)/TV of cancellous bone, as well as a decrease of the periosteal BFR/bone surface (BS) and an increase of endocortical bone turnover (indicated by the BFR/BS) in cortical bone. Administration of vitamin K₂ to HX rats did not affect the cancellous BV/TV or the cortical area. On the other hand, GH completely prevented the decrease of total tissue area and cortical area in cortical bone, as well as the decrease of marrow area and endocortical circumference, by increasing the periosteal BFR/BS compared with that in intact controls and reversing the increase of endocortical bone turnover (BFR/BS). However, GH only partly improved the reduction of the cancellous BV/TV, despite an increase of the longitudinal growth rate and BFR/TV compared with those of intact controls. When administered with GH, vitamin K₂ counteracted the reduction of endocortical bone turnover (BFR/BS) and circumference caused by GH treatment, resulting in no significant difference of marrow area from that in untreated HX rats. These results suggest that, despite the lack of an obvious effect on bone parameters, vitamin K₂ normalizes the size of the marrow cavity during development of the bone marrow in young HX rats treated with GH.