葉酸欠乏がマウスの骨量に及ぼす影響

抄録

Folate is a water soluble B-group vitamin, which is an essential nutrient for human health. It has been reported that hyperhomocysteinemia, which folate deficiency is one of the main causes, is an independent risk factor for osteoporotic fractures. This study was conducted to examine the influence of folate deficiency on bone mass and bone mineral contents in mice. Four-week-old male ICR mice were fed a control diet based on AIN93G or a folate deficient diet for 10 weeks. The plasma and erythrocyte levels of folate in the deficient mice were significantly lower than those in the control mice. The concentration of plasma homocysteine in the deficient mice was higher but not significantly different from controls. In the deficient mice, we observed a significant decrease in the bone mass, bone mineral content and bone length of the right femur even though the body weight and major tissue weights were not significantly different between the two groups. These results suggest that folate deficiency influences the process of bone formation.