Effects of Dexamethasone on Physical Properties and Mineral Density of Long Bones in Piglets

The study was conducted to test the effect of dexamethasone introduced intramuscularly on volumetric mineral density and physical properties of the femur and humerus in piglets during 14 d of their neonatal life. The effective duration of dexamethasone action lasted together 38 d because sows were treated with dexamethasone during the last 24 d before farrowing. Control piglets were treated with physiological saline administered in the same way and amount. On the 14 d of life the piglets were euthanised and humeri and femora were isolated and frozen at –25C until further analyses. Using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) method, volumetric bone density of the cortical and trabecular bone were estimated. Moreover, selected geometric and mechanical properties of the femur and humerus were determined. The obtained results indicate that the administration of dexamethasone in both prenatal and neonatal life of the piglets decreased volumetric bone density and mechanical and geometric properties of their bones.