1996 Volume 42 Issue 1 Pages 55-67
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ovariectomy on osteoinductive activity in the bone in rat. Homograft implantation of decalcified humeral diaphysis from ovariectomized or sham-operated rats was performed and harvested after several time periods. A significant decrease in bone induction was found in terms of soft X-ray photography, alkaline phosphatase activity, mineral content and expression of osteocalcin (BGP; bone gla-protein) in the implants from the ovariectomized group in comparison to those from the sham-operated animals. This result suggested that the level of osteoinductive activity, probably due to bone morphogenetic protein, decreased in ovariectomized animals.