Environmental and Genetic Factors Affecting Bone Diseases and Phenotypes in Mouse Models
type: CreativeWork
description: Bone diseases and phenotypes are affected in multiple ways. We focused on studying the effects of genetic and environmental factors, especially their impact on bone properties. Firstly, we investigated the effects of β-caryophyllene (BCP), a naturally occurring dietary cannabinoid, on protecting bone from vitamin D deficiency in mice fed on a diet lacking or supplemented with vitamin D (VD). We found that the VD-deficient diet enhanced the length of femur and tibia bones (P<0.05), and increased bone volume (BV; P<0.01) and the trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV; P <0.01) compared to the D+ diet. When given BCP-containing diet, mice exhibited higher BV and bone mineral density (BMD; P<0.05) than the control group. The trabecular and cortical bone were also affected by VD and BCP. In addition, the inclusion of dietary BCP improved the serum concentrations of klotho (P < 0.05). In summary, these data indicate that BCP enhances the level of klotho in the serum, leading to improved bone properties and mineralization in an experimental mouse model. Under conditions lacking UV light, the D-deficient diet could affect multiple properties of bone, including trabecular and cortical bone, in mice. The D-deficient diet can also result in weight loss in mice. My second project is to evaluate the bone properties in a mouse model with Il-1rn mutation. When knockout for IL-1rn, mice of Balb/c genomic background exhibited susceptibility to spontaneous arthritis disease (SAD), while those of a DBA/1 background were resistant to developing SAD. Our progress on the study of SAD suggested that some of the bone phenotypes, BMD, BV, tibia length, and cortical thickness, were different between wildtype and IL-1rn knockout mice both in Balb/c and DBA/1 strains. The two congenic mouse strains were also evaluated for bone properties. The results revealed that IL-1rn affected BMD differently between Balb/c and DBA/1 mouse strains. The absence of IL-1rn decreased BMD in Balb/c mice and incr…
abstract: Bone diseases and phenotypes are affected in multiple ways. We focused on studying the effects of genetic and environmental factors, especially their impact on bone properties. Firstly, we investigated the effects of β-caryophyllene (BCP), a naturally occurring dietary cannabinoid, on protecting bone from vitamin D deficiency in mice fed on a diet lacking or supplemented with vitamin D (VD). We found that the VD-deficient diet enhanced the length of femur and tibia bones (P<0.05), and increased bone volume (BV; P<0.01) and the trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV; P <0.01) compared to the D+ diet. When given BCP-containing diet, mice exhibited higher BV and bone mineral density (BMD; P<0.05) than the control group. The trabecular and cortical bone were also affected by VD and BCP. In addition, the inclusion of dietary BCP improved the serum concentrations of klotho (P < 0.05). In summary, these data indicate that BCP enhances the level of klotho in the serum, leading to improved bone properties and mineralization in an experimental mouse model. Under conditions lacking UV light, the D-deficient diet could affect multiple properties of bone, including trabecular and cortical bone, in mice. The D-deficient diet can also result in weight loss in mice. My second project is to evaluate the bone properties in a mouse model with Il-1rn mutation. When knockout for IL-1rn, mice of Balb/c genomic background exhibited susceptibility to spontaneous arthritis disease (SAD), while those of a DBA/1 background were resistant to developing SAD. Our progress on the study of SAD suggested that some of the bone phenotypes, BMD, BV, tibia length, and cortical thickness, were different between wildtype and IL-1rn knockout mice both in Balb/c and DBA/1 strains. The two congenic mouse strains were also evaluated for bone properties. The results revealed that IL-1rn affected BMD differently between Balb/c and DBA/1 mouse strains. The absence of IL-1rn decreased BMD in Balb/c mice and incr…
author: Dong, Wei
keywords: arthritis, BCP, bone, mouse model, vitamin C, Animal Diseases, Diseases, Medical Genetics, Medical Immunology, Medical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Musculoskeletal Diseases
date published: 2021-12-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:00:45Z
provider: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Tennessee Health Science Center