Under an Ohio State University IACUC-approved protocol, sixty-four female (47 day old) rats of equivalent weights were divided into four groups (16 per group): 2 control and 2 treatment groups.

Controls were fed a semi-synthetic diet containing 0.6% calcium and 0.6% phosphorus as published elsewhere [24] for 2 or 4 weeks and β-APN treated animals were fed a diet inclusive of β-aminopropionitrile (0.1% dry weight) for 2 or 4 weeks . The 2 and 4 week-time points were used to allow formation of new bone with varying degrees of cross-linking in limited anatomical areas, without affecting the whole bone. Rats were sacrificed at the assigned time points and intact spines were harvested, dissected free from soft tissue

and stored in 70% ethanol. L3 vertebra from each animal were GSK3235025 equilibrated selleck screening library with phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.8, pulverized and reduced with KBH4 for 1 h. After this time, the pH was adjusted to 4 with acetic acid to destroy excess reagent, the tissue washed extensively with water and freeze dried. The reduced bone was hydrolyzed in 6 M HCl at 107 °C for 22 h and the acid was removed by evaporation. Following preliminary fractionation of cross-linked amino acids by partition chromatography, the intermediate compounds (DHLNL and HLNL) were assayed by ion-exchange chromatography with post-column derivatization and the mature bonds (PYD and DPD) were quantified using RP-HPLC using

their natural fluorescence, as described previously [25]. Cross-link concentrations were expressed relative to collagen content determined by colorimetric measurement of hydroxyproline in the original hydrolysate. It should be noted here that both cortical and trabecular bone were included in the analysis. The endplates of each L2 vertebra were carefully removed with a low speed diamond-coated saw (Isomet, Buehler, Germany) to provide samples with a height of approximately 3 mm. The vertebral Cyclin-dependent kinase 3 body was then isolated from the posterior elements and one of the plane surfaces was glued on a carbon rod with a thin layer of cyanoacrylate glue. The other surface was polished to achieve parallel faces. The average final height was 2.5 mm. The vertebral body was scanned in 70% ethanol by μCT with a 12 μm voxel size (μCT40, Scanco, Switzerland). The reconstructions were segmented with an optimal threshold, separated into trabecular and cortical compartments and standard histomorphometric parameters were computed with the manufacturer’s software (IPL, Scanco, Switzerland). Vertebrae (L5) were fixed in 70% ethanol, dehydrated through a graded series of ethanol and embedded undecalcified in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). About 5 millimeter thick blocks containing a sagittal vertebral bone section were cut using a low speed diamond saw (Buehler Isomed, Lake Pluff, USA).