Abstract
This study investigated the effect of treadmill running speed on bone mechanical strength in ovariectomized mice. Fifty female ICR mice were either ovariectomized (OVX, n = 40), or sham-operated (SHAM, n = 10), and the OVX groups were further randomly divided into OVX control, groups A, B, and C. Groups A, B, and C ran for 25 min/day and 5 day/week for 10 weeks at speeds of 8, 16, and 24 m/min, respectively. The bone mechanical strength of femur and tibia in OVX group was significantly less than that in SHAM group. Though the reduction of the bone mechanical strength of femur and tibia in OVX group was more than 20%, treadmill running inhibited those of femur and tibia, which were less than 15% and 10%, respectively. Compared with groups B and C, the bone mechanical strength of tibia in OVX group significantly decreased. This study demonstrated the effect of treadmill running on the bone mechanical strength, suggesting that more than the even running speed might be needed to prevent the decrease in the bone mechanical strength effectively.
