Cancellous bone formation response to simulated resistance training during disuse is blunted by concurrent alendronate treatment

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of simulated resistance training (SRT) exercise combined with alendronate (ALEN) in mitigating or preventing disuse‐associated losses in cancellous bone microarchitecture and formation. Sixty male Sprague‐Dawley rats (6 months old) were randomly assigned to either cage control (CC), hind limb unloading (HU), HU plus either ALEN (HU + ALEN), SRT (HU + SRT), or a combination of ALEN and SRT (HU + SRT/ALEN) for 28 days. HU + SRT and HU + SRT/ALEN rats were anesthetized and subjected to muscle contractions once every 3 days during HU (four sets of five repetitions, 1000 ms isometric + 1000 ms eccentric). Additionally, HU + ALEN and HU + SRT/ALEN rats received 10 µg/kg of body weight of ALEN three times per week. HU reduced cancellous bone‐formation rate (BFR) by 80%, with no effect of ALEN treatment (?85% versus CC). SRT during HU significantly increased cancellous BFR by 123% versus CC, whereas HU + SRT/ALEN inhibited the anabolic effect of SRT (?70% versus HU + SRT). SRT increased bone volume and trabecular thickness by 19% and 9%, respectively, compared with CC. Additionally, osteoid surface (OS/BS) was significantly greater in HU + SRT rats versus CC (+32%). Adding ALEN to SRT during HU reduced Oc.S/BS (?75%), Ob.S/BS (?72%), OS/BS (?61%), and serum TRACP5b (?36%) versus CC. SRT and ALEN each independently suppressed a nearly twofold increase in adipocyte number evidenced with HU and inhibited increases in osteocyte apoptosis. These results demonstrate the anabolic effect of a low volume of high‐intensity muscle contractions during disuse and suggest that both bone resorption and bone formation are suppressed when SRT is combined with bisphosphonate treatment. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research