Effect of Organic Germanium Compound (Ge-132) on Experimental Osteoporosis in Rats: The Relationship Between Transverse Strength and Bone Mineral Density (BMD) or Bone Mineral Content (BMC)

The antiosteoporotic effect of organic germanium compound, poly-trans-(2-carboxyethyl)germaniumsesquioxide (Ge-132), was studied using ovariectomized rats maintained on a low calcium diet. Rats without ovariectomy and maintained on a normal commercial diet gave the highest femur transverse strength as well as the highest BMD or BMC, measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) of the femur bone. A daily dose of 18 mg/kg gave the highest femur transverse strength among the dose schedules of 0, 0.5, 3.0, 18.0, and 108.0 mg/kg/day, after both 3 and 6 months in ovariectomized rats maintained on a low calcium diet. Morphological analysis of the femur, especially weight and outside diameter also supported that Ge-132 enhances the femur transverse strength. The pQCT measurements of the femur demonstrated that a high correlation existed between the transverse strength and total BMD or BMC.