Volume 90, Issue 3, September (2003), pp. 557-564 © The Author 2003
doi:10.1079/BJN2003937

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The effect of bovine whey protein on ectopic bone formation in young growing rats

Owen Kelly¹, Siobhan Cusack¹, Kevin D. Cashman^1,2
1Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and
²Department of Medicine, University College, Cork, Republic of Ireland

 (Received 7 March 2002–Revised 20 March 2003–Accepted 14 May 2003)

The beneficial effect of bovine whey protein (WP) on bone metabolism has been shown in adult human subjects and ovariectomised rats. However, its effect on bone formation in earlier life, particularly during periods of bone mineral accrual, has not been investigated. Twenty-one male rats (4 weeks old, Wistar strain) were randomised by weight into three groups of seven rats each and fed ad libitum on a semi-purified low-Ca diet (3·0 g Ca/kg diet) containing 0 (control), 10 (diet WP1) or 20 (diet WP2) g bovine WP/kg for 47 d. On day 34 of the dietary intervention, all rats had two gelatine capsules containing demineralised bone powder implanted subcutaneously in the thorax region (a well-established in vivo model of ectopic bone formation). At 14 d after implantation, alkaline phosphatase activity (reflective of bone formation) in the bone implants from animals fed WP1 and -2 diets was almost 2-fold (P<0·01) that of control animals. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I mRNA levels were about 3-fold (P<0·05) higher in implants from animals fed the WP diets compared with those from control animals. Serum- and urine-based biomarkers of bone metabolism and bone mineral composition in intact femora were unaffected by WP supplementation. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that bovine WP can enhance the rate of ectopic bone formation in young growing rats fed a Ca-restricted diet. This effect may be mediated by an increased synthesis of IGF-I in growing bone. The effect of WP on bone formation warrants further investigation.

Keywords:
Bone formation, Ectopic bone, Whey protein, Rats

Abbreviations:
IGF, insulin-like growth factor, WP, whey protein