Prior to gene array analysis, alcohol-related bone damage was quantified by standard assays used previously in our laboratory. Consecutive lumbar vertebrae (L4–5) from each animal were analyzed for BMD and compressive strength-to-failure. An adjacent lumbar segment (L3) was utilized for the molecular studies described in the following section. An acute (1-week) binge alcohol treatment cycle did not significantly decrease vertebral cancellous or cortical BMD, or compressive strength compared to matched saline control values (Fig. 1A–C). In contrast, a chronic (4-week) binge alcohol treatment cycle significantly decreased vertebral cancellous BMD (p < 0.05) and compressive strength values (p < 0.05) compared to matched saline control animals (Fig. 2A–C). Co-treatment of binge alcohol-exposed animals with ibandronate prevented this alcohol-related loss of cancellous BMD in lumbar vertebrae (p < 0.05) maintaining values at control levels (Fig. 2A). Ibandronate also prevented the significant decrease in compressive strength observed in binge alcohol-treated animals (p < 0.05) (Fig. 2C). The size of vertebral bodies as determined by cross-sectional area measurement obtained during pQCT was equivalent across treatment groups (data not shown), suggesting that the decreased BMD
