Abstract
Thirteen-week-old male ODS rats placed on an ascorbic acid (AsA) -deficient diet for 4 weeks showed a marked reduction in plasma AsA level and slight but significant body weight loss without alteration of the morphological appearence of the skull and mandible or tibia. Bone loss induced by AsA-deficiency was observed in the tibia as well as in the skull and mandible. However, the AsA-deficient effect, evaluated by comparison of dry and ash weights of bone, was greater in the tibia than in the skull or mandible. This seems to be a result of differences in bone turnover, because the cancellous tubular bone in the long bones have a higher turnover rate than the compact bone in the skull and mandible. The parameters of mechanical properties of compact bone in femora were markedly reduced by AsA deficiency. These observations indicate that compact bone with AsA-deficiency become brittle despite slight reductions in their ash and dry weights.
