Pancreas deficiency modifies bone development in the ovine fetus near term.
View / Open Files
Publication Date
2021-11-24Journal Title
J Endocrinol
ISSN
0022-0795
Publisher
Bioscientifica
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Lanham, S. A., Blache, D., Oreffo, R. O., Fowden, A. L., & Forhead, A. (2021). Pancreas deficiency modifies bone development in the ovine fetus near term.. J Endocrinol https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-21-0189
Abstract
Hormones have an important role in the regulation of fetal growth and development, especially in response to nutrient availability in utero. Using micro-CT and an electromagnetic three-point bend test, this study examined the effect of pancreas removal at 0.8 fraction of gestation on the developing bone structure and mechanical strength in fetal sheep. When fetuses were studied at 10 and 25 days after surgery, pancreatectomy caused hypoinsulinaemia, hyperglycaemia and growth retardation which was associated with low plasma concentrations of leptin and a marker of osteoclast activity and collagen degradation. In pancreatectomized fetuses compared to control fetuses, limb lengths were shorter, and trabecular (Tb) bone in the metatarsi showed greater bone volume fraction, Tb thickness, degree of anisotropy and porosity, and lower fractional bone surface area and Tb spacing. Mechanical strength testing showed that pancreas deficiency was associated with increased stiffness and a greater maximal weight load at fracture in a subset of fetuses studied near term. Overall, pancreas deficiency in utero slowed the growth of the fetal skeleton and adapted the developing bone to generate a more compact and connected structure. Maintenance of bone strength in growth-retarded limbs is especially important in a precocial species in preparation for skeletal loading and locomotion at birth.
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/H01697X/1)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-21-0189
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/330161
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.