Effect of Mechanical Stimuli and Zoledronic Acid on the Femoral Bone Morphology in Rats with Obesity and Limited Mobility

Our study aimed to compare the impact of zoledronic acid and whole-body vibration (WBV) as a non-pharmacological method of treatment for early obesity/immobility-related osteoporosis in male rat models. In total, 36 male Wistar rats were assigned to the following groups: obese control with immobility (Control, n = 12) and two experimental groups (n = 12 each), including obese and immobile rats subjected to whole-body vibration with an acceleration level of 3 m/s2 g (obesity and immobility + WBV) and obese and immobile rats that received an intramuscular injection of zoledronic acid at a dose of 0.025 mg/kg (obesity and immobility + ZOL). After the 8th and 16th week of treatment, n = 6 rats from each group were euthanized and isolated femora were subjected to a histological examination of bone, and analysis of the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) involved in bone turnover and the amount of thin collagen fibers (PSR stain). The obtained results showed that short-term vibrotherapy (up to 8 weeks) can lead to improvement in bone remodeling in rat models with obesity and limited mobility.