Disaccharide-trehalose inhibits bone resorption in ovariectomized mice

A method for the large-scale production of trehalose has been recently developed which has enabled us to investigate the biological functions of trehalose. In this study, we have investigated the effect of trehalose on bone resorption in ovariectomized mice as a model of osteoporosis. In ovariectomized ddY mice which were administered 100 mg/kg of trehalose orally during the 4 weeks, after ovariectomy, the decrease in bone weight and in the contents of calcium and phosphorus of the femur attributed to estrogen deficiency were significantly suppressed when compared with that of ovariectomized mice administered vehicle only. Morphological observations of the tibia of ovariectomized mice revealed a marked decrease in trabecular bone compared with that of sham-operated mice. However, trabecular bone of ovariectomized mice receiving trehalose was clearly preserved. In experiments to examine the effects of trehalose on osteoclast formation from bone marrow cells, treatment resulted in a suppression of osteoclast differentiation, while a significant increase in osteoclast number was detected in ovariectomized mice receiving vehicle only. Furthermore, since administration of trehalose had no effect on the decrease in uterine weight which is due to estrogen deficiency it seems unlikely that trehalose has an estrogen-like function. These results indicate that administration of trehalose to ovariectomized mice inhibits the increase of the osteoclast differentiation from the bone marrow leading to the prevention of the femoral bone loss attributed to estrogen deficiency, and further imply that ingestion of trehalose could be effective on the prevention of osteoporosis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.