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Role of vitamin D in maternal skeletal changes during pregnancy and lactation: A histomorphometric study

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Summary

The effect of vitamin D on bone changes during the reproductive cycle in female rats has been investigated. One group of female rats was maintained on a vitamin D-deficient diet and another group on a vitamin D-replete diet from weaning. Both groups were mated with normal males and changes in their bones were determined histomorphometrically during pregnancy, lactation, and after weaning. All vitamin D-deficient rats had bone changes typical of rickets. Pregnancy caused significant reductions in mineralized tissue of trabecular and cortical bone in the vitamin D-deficient rats. Lactation caused further significant reductions in mineralized tissues of cortical and trabecular bone in both the vitamin D-deficient and vitamin D-replete animals, with the greatest changes seen at weaning. Some restoration of mineralized tissues occurred following weaning. There was an increase in tetracycline-labeled bone surface in the vitamin D-replete animals during lactation, likely due to an increase in bone formation rates. In the vitamin D-deficient animals during lactation, there was a decrease in tetracyclinelabeled bone surface, likely due to severely depressed bone mineralization. These results indicate that the mobilization of calcium from bone to maintain pregnancy and lactation occurs by a mechanism independent of vitamin D.

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Author notes

  1. Bernard P. Halloran

    Present address: Department of Medicine, VA Hospital, 4150 Clement Street, 94121, San Francisco, CA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Radiobiology, Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Utah, 84112, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    Scott C. Miller & Webster S. S. Jee

  2. Department of Biochemistry, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Bernard P. Halloran & Hector F. DeLuca

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  1. Scott C. Miller
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  2. Bernard P. Halloran
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  3. Hector F. DeLuca
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  4. Webster S. S. Jee
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Miller, S.C., Halloran, B.P., DeLuca, H.F. et al. Role of vitamin D in maternal skeletal changes during pregnancy and lactation: A histomorphometric study. Calcif Tissue Int 34, 245–252 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02411245

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