Alterations in Collagen and Mineral Nanostructure Observed in Osteoporosis and Pharmaceutical Treatments Using Simultaneous Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering

The influence of the macroscale material properties of bone on its mechanical competence has been extensively investigated, but less is known about possible contributions from bone’s nanoscale material properties. These nanoscale properties, particularly the collagen network and the size and shape of hydroxyapatite mineral crystals, may be affected by aging, mechanical loading, and diseases including osteoporosis. Here, changes to the collagen and mineral properties of cortical bone induced by osteoporosis and subsequent pharmaceutical treatments were investigated by simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) microbeam mapping. Adult rats (6 months old) were ovariectomized and treated with alendronate, parathyroid hormone, or sodium fluoride, and compared to untreated ovariectomized and age-matched controls. Scattering data from tibial cortical bone showed that osteoporosis increased collagen alignment in existing intracortical bone, while this effect was mitigated in the alendronate and sodium fluoride groups though by different mechanisms. Further, mineral crystal lengths in newly formed cortical bone were smaller in animals with osteoporosis, but existing cortical bone was not altered. Subsequent treatment with alendronate mitigated changes in crystal lengths. Together, these results suggest that osteoporosis may alter the collagen alignment and mineral geometry in bone formed before and after the onset of this disease, and that osteoporosis treatments may differentially rescue these changes.