Vitamin D Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin D, including details on sources, melanin, benefits, deficiency, supplements, calcium absorption. | ||||||||
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Calcitriol improves streptozotocin-induced diabetes and recovers bone mineral density in diabetic rats.Del Pino-Montes J, Benito GE, Fernández-Salazar MP, Coveñas R, Calvo JJ, Bouillon R, Quesada JM Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Salamanca, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. jpino@usal.es Vitamin D analogs exert a preventative effect on experimental diabetes, but whether or not they are able to halt progress of established diabetes is not yet known. Moreover, it is widely accepted that diabetes may induce osteoporosis, but the efficacy of vitamin D on diabetic osteoporosis is not clear. In order to help clarify these issues, we have tested the efficacy of calcitriol streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Streptozotocin (60 mg/Kg body weight) was injected in 3-month-old Wistar rats, randomly distributed into two groups: vehicle (olive oil) treated diabetic rats (D) and diabetic rats treated with 1.25-(OH)2D3 250 mg, three times a week (DT). Control animals (C) were treated with vehicle alone. The experiment lasted 8 weeks. The histology of the pancreata was evaluated. Blood glucose and calcium and phosphate in serum and urine were measured. Finally, bone mineral density (BMD) of tibia and lumbar vertebrae were evaluated. After 8 weeks, diabetes persisted in 85% of the diabetic rats (D group), but in only 45% of vitamin D-treated group (DT). At the end of the experiment, DT animals were separated into two groups, those still remaining diabetic (DT-NR) and reversed animals (DT-R). Moreover, bone loss was observed in diabetic animals (D), whereas BMD of DT-R rats showed similar values to those of controls (C). Our results suggest that 1.25(OH)2D3 improves diabetes and, as such, may recover BMD in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Published 17 January 2005 in Calcif Tissue Int, 75(6): 526-32.
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