Table 4.
Effect of L. helveticus on micro-CT scan analysis of the femur
| Parameters | Sham | OVX | OVX+ L. helveticus | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BV/TV (%) | 76±6.30a | 49±5.7b,* | 57±6.6 | 0.05 |
| Porosity (%) | 25±5.3a | 53±4.6b,* | 42±6.6 | 0.02 |
| Tb.Th (mm) | 7.6±0.5a | 5.3±0.4b,* | 5.8±0.5 | 0.03 |
| Tb.Sp (mm) | 5.2±0.4 | 6.4±0.6 | 6.1±0.4 | 0.69 |
| Tb.N (mm−1) | 0.10±0.00 | 0.09±0.01 | 0.09±0.00 | 0.95 |
| BMD (g.cm−3) | 1.07±0.02a | 0.76±0.06b,* | 0.91±0.05a | 0.003 |
Notes: Ten-week-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were supplemented with 1 mL L. helveticus (108–109 CFU) once a day during 16 weeks, starting 2 weeks after surgery, while sham and OVX groups received 1 mL of demineralized water. At the end of the study, dissected femurs were analyzed with micro-CT scan analyzer. Values are presented as mean±SEM analysis of cortical and trabecular femur (n=8 in each group).
Values with different letters are significantly different at *P<0.05 based on one-way ANOVA, followed by Duncan post hoc test. a: different from b.
Abbreviations: OVX, ovariectomized; BV/TV, bone volume/total volume; Tb.Th, trabecular thickness; Tb.Sp, trabecular separation; Tb.N, trabecular number; BMD, bone mineral density; CFU, colony forming units; SEM, standard error from mean; L. helveticus, Lactobacillus helveticus.