RESUMEN
The search for new strategies for the prevention and control of osteoporosis is an urgent task. Functional foodstuffs and their components are of particular interest in this regard. The aim was to study the effect of bread enriched with protein, dietary fiber, calcium, iron and iodine on the state of the bone tissue of rats in a model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Material and methods. The experiment was performed on sexually mature female Wistar rats divided into groups: K - control (sham-operated rats, not ovariectomized); Ð30 - osteoporosis model (animals were sacrificed 30 days after ovariectomy); groups Ð120 and Ð120+ - a model of osteoporosis (rats were sacrificed 120 days after ovariectomy). All animals were fed a standard vivary diet. For rats of the Ð120+ group, from the 40th to the 120th day, enriched bread was included in the diet in an amount of 6 g per 100 g of body weight per day. The bread was fortified with protein (whey protein, blood plasma proteins from farm animals), dietary fiber, calcium (eggshell), iron (purified hemoglobin) and iodized whey protein. Animals of groups K and Ð120 received unfortified bread in the same amount. Blood levels of total calcium (by colorimetric method), gonadotropins, testosterone, and estradiol (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were analyzed. Microtomographic evaluation of the architecture and mineral density of the trabecular part of the femur and lumbar vertebrae was performed. Histomorphological analysis of the uterus and femur of animals was performed. Results and discussion. In animals of the Ð120+ group, in comparison with the Ð120 sample, there was a decrease in blood testosterone and a marked compensatory release of follicle-stimulating hormone, while no changes were detected in the concentration of estradiol and the state of the uterus atrophied against the background of ovariectomy. There was an increase in the trabecular mineral density of the femur and lumbar vertebrae. The proportion of bone trabeculae in the total volume of the femoral metaphysis (BV/TV) in animals of the Ð120+ sample was 12.5±0.66% compared to 10.4±0.52% in the Ð120 group. The values of the structural model index (SMI) reflecting the loss of bone strength and the trabecularity coefficient (TbPf) in Ð120+ rats (1.44±0.07 and 5.96±0.29 1/mm) were significantly lower than these parameters in the Ð120 group (1.74±0.08; 9.13±0.46 1/mm, Ñ<0.05). The micro-architectural structure of the femur in the Ð120+ group of rats was close to that of the Ð30 sample, which serves as a model of the early stage of osteoporosis (SMI 1.42±0.07; TbPf 5.55±0.28 1/mm). The percentage of bone resorption perimeter and the number of osteoclasts in the Ð120+ femoral trabeculae were lower than in the Ð120 group. In the Ð120+ group, active osteoblasts were observed in a significant part of the resorption cavities. Cell differentiation more was observed in the osteogenic direction than in the adipogenic direction. Conclusion. Bread enriched with protein, fiber, calcium, iron and iodine, effectively weakens osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy in rats. Its inclusion in the diet may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of systemic postmenopausal osteoporosis.