This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Boivin, G. Articles by Meunier, P. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Boivin, G. Articles by Meunier, P. J.

Contribution of Raloxifene and Calcium and Vitamin D₃ Supplementation to the Increase of the Degree of Mineralization of Bone in Postmenopausal Women

Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 403 (G.B., P.J.M.), Faculté de Médecine R. Laennec, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France; Department of Endocrinology (P.L.), Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, Amsterdam 1007 MB, The Netherlands; Department of Medicine (S.M.O.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-6426; and Lilly Research Laboratories (K.D.H., S.S., K.V.P.), Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Georges Boivin, Ph.D., Director of Research, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 403, Faculté de Médecine R. Laennec, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France. E-mail: boivin{at}laennec.univ-lyon1.fr.

Raloxifene has been shown to increase bone mineral density and reduce the risk of vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. In this study, we report the results of the first prospective longitudinal study to evaluate the mean degree of mineralization of bone (MDMB) in a group of patients enrolled in the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation trial. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: placebo (n = 24), raloxifene 60 mg/d (RLX60; n = 22), or raloxifene 120 mg/d (RLX120; n = 18). All patients received daily calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D₃ (400–600 IU) supplementation for the duration of the study. Iliac crest biopsies were taken at baseline and after 2 yr of treatment. Quantitative microradiography was used to analyze the biopsy specimens and revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.05) mean percentage increase in total MDMB of 7.0, 5.3, and 5% for RLX60-, RLX120-, and placebo-treated patients, respectively, compared with baseline. Raloxifene treatment was found to shift the distribution of total bone mineral to higher values of MDMB (RLX60, 29%; RLX120, 8%) with greater heterogeneity, compared with placebo. The profile of MDMB observed in biopsies after treatment with placebo and raloxifene, compared with baseline, closely resembles physiological premenopausal bone.

This work was supported by Eli Lilly and Company.

Abbreviations: ANCOVA, Analysis of covariance; BMD, bone mineral density; BSU, basic structural unit; FWHM, full width at half maximum; MDMB, mean degree of mineralization of bone (tissue); MORE, Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation; RLX60, raloxifene 60 mg/d; RLX120, raloxifene 120 mg/d.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Seeman Structural basis of growth-related gain and age-related loss of bone strength Proceedings of a satellite symposium held on the occasion of the EULAR Congress, Paris, France, June 13, 2008 Rheumatology, July 1, 2008; 47(suppl_4): iv2 - iv8. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Seeman and P. D. Delmas Bone quality--the material and structural basis of bone strength and fragility. N. Engl. J. Med., May 25, 2006; 354(21): 2250 - 2261. [Full Text] [PDF]