Objective: Male osteoporosis (OP) is a major problem in clinical medicine, but has gained less interest than female OP. The mechanisms of male OP have not been explained well and are not clear yet. It is suggested that there is a role for oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of many diseases, one of them being OP. In this study, we investigated the effect of orchiectomy on bone mineral density (BMD), the level of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and erythrocyte deformability in rats and the effect of vitamin C supplementation on the possible changes in these parameters.

Metarials and Methods: A total of 20 male Wistar albino rats were randomized into three groups: controls (C, n=6), orchiectomized rats (O, n=7) and orchiectomized rats receiving vitamin C supplementation (OVC, n=7). The concentration of superoxide-dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in bone tissue homogenates were measured to assess the oxidative stress. Erythrocyte deformability was measured using erythrocyte suspensions at 5% hematocrit in phosphate buffered saline.

Results: When oxidant/antioxidant parameters were compared between the groups, SOD activity in bone tissue was significantly higher in group O than in group OVC (p=0.032). Erythrocyte deformability was significantly higher in group O than in group C and OVC (p=0.003, p=0.018, respectively).

Conclusion: Erythrocyte deformability may show negative variations, suggesting a causative role in disruption of blood flow and tissue perfusion, which also affect bone metabolism negatively. Vitamin C supplementation seems to reverse those negative effects of variations in erythrocyte deformability. However, our preliminary results need to be confirmed in wider serious of experimental and clinical trials.