This study utilized a young adult rat model of binge alcohol exposure, which mimics the pattern and consumption levels characteristic of human binge drinking behavior and produces reproducible patterns of bone loss in male and female rats. We chose lumbar spine as the anatomical site to perform our studies based on clinical reports of the high frequency of vertebral compression fractures in osteoporosis patients (Genant and Jergas, 2003) coupled with the relative paucity of reports focused on alcohol and the spine (Callaci et al., 2006, Nishiguchi et al., 2001) compared to other skeletal sites such as the femur and tibia (Sampson et al., 1996, 1997, Sampson et al. 1998, Hogan et al., 1997, Wezeman et al., 1999, 2000). We report novel effects of alcohol on vertebral bone identified by relating the damage caused by binge alcohol to changes occurring in the vertebral transcriptome. Effects of a single dose of ibandronate on alcohol-related bone damage and associated transcriptional modulation are also reported. Intermittent ibandronate dosing regimens in rats are effective for prevention of estrogen-dependent bone loss and in maintaining or improving bone mass, strength, and architecture (Bauss et al., 2002, 2004).
