Introduction: As an age-associated metabolic disease of the skeleton, osteoporosis (OP) causes a significant medical and socio-economic burden. One of the challenges in clinical practice is the adverse effects of widely used bisphosphonates. Therefore, the search for preventive pharmacotherapeutic strategies is needed. Materials and Methods: Sixty female Wistar rats randomized into 6 equal groups were used to study the effects of a single and prolonged intravenous administration of zoledronic acid ( ZA ) without and in combination with an endothelioprotective dose of resveratrol (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally daily), compared with sham-operated and osteoporotic animals. X-ray densitometry and histological methods were used. Results and Discussion: Already at 4 weeks after bilateral ovariectomy (OVx), the typical signs of osteoporotic lesions comparable with OP in humans are present. A single administration of ZA following 4 weeks of OP had a significant corrective effect on bone structure and the fatty component of bone marrow. After a second dose of ZA at 8 weeks after OVx, signs of bone damage were detected by week 12. The addition of 4 weeks of resveratrol therapy after the second dose of ZA (until 12 weeks after OVx) leads to switching of bone marrow precursors to osteoblastic differentiation, reducing the adipocytic component; cytoprotective action on osteocytes with their switching to a synthetic phenotype, reducing the potential activation of osteoclasts and blocking periosteocytic osteolysis; and protection of bone vessels via the endothelioprotective properties of resveratrol . Conclusion: An endothelioprotective dose of resveratrol exerts multitarget cell- and endothelium-dependent mechanisms of protective action when combined with prolonged zoledronic acid therapy, preventing its adverse effects.
Efficacy and side effects of different regimens of experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy with zoledronic acid and their correction by combination with resveratrol
Oleg S. Gudyrev (gudyrev@mail.ru)

