Histopathological and biochemical investigation of the effect of experimental single dose steroid injections on bone tissue

Corticosteroids are hormones released by the adrenal cortex. Synthetic forms of these hormones synthesized in the laboratory have been used in the treatment of many diseases for more than half a century. In addition to the therapeutic effects of these drugs, it is known that they cause significant side effects on many tissues and systems, and they cause serious complications such as osteoporosis, bone fractures, aseptic necrosis if used at high doses and long term. The duration of treatment with corticosteroids may vary depending on the course and severity of the disease. These drugs are applied in high doses and long term in general medicine , but in dentistry, they are usually applied in short doses, usually in single doses. It is noted, however, that when these agents are administered in a low and / or single dose, severe complications such as osteonecrosis may occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of single dose steroid injections on bone tissue histopathologically and biochemically. The study was performed on 48 Wistar Albino male rats. Subjects were divided into 4 groups, one for control and others for experimental group. Methylprednisolone was administered to the experimental groups in a single dose of 2, 4 and 20 mg / kg intramuscularly. Half of the animals in the groups were sacrificed at the 1st week and the other half at the end of the 4th week and blood and bone samples were collected. As a result of the evaluations, 2, 4 and 20 mg / kg single dose corticosteroid applications did not cause a significant change at the beginning of femur and condyle histopathologically, but lower OPG values of bone metabolism in experimental groups, RANKL, IL-33, LDL cholesterol values and RANKL / OPG and LDL / HDL cholesterol ratios were found to be higher. In conclusion, although there is no significant change in the histopathological findings within the boundaries of this study, it can be said that single-dose corticosteroid administration causes significant changes in bone metabolism and bone formation-destruction balance changes in the direction of destruction, considering biochemical markers of bone metabolism.