The potential calcium content of anchovy (Stolephorus sp.) on mandibular bone growth through osteoprotegerin expression analysis

Background

Anchovy (Stolephorus sp.) is a commonly used food ingredient due to its high calcium content, which supports craniofacial growth. Calcium stimulates the formation of osteoblasts, which produce osteoprotegerin (OPG). OPG binds to RANKL, blocking RANKL-RANK bonding and limiting osteoclast development.

Objective

The objective of this study was to analyze OPG expression in mandibular bones to assess the potential calcium content of anchovies.

Methods

Three groups of 27 male Wistar rats were created: control, anchovy, and milk. After 40 days, the rats were decapitated, and their mandibular bones were surgically extracted, decalcified, and prepared for microscopic examination. The results showed a significant difference in OPG expression of rat mandibles between control, anchovy, and milk groups (P < 0.05), as determined by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Tukey's HSD test revealed a significant difference in the average quantity of rat mandibular OPG expression between the control group and each of the anchovy and milk groups, with probability values of 0.00 and 0.003 (P < 0.05), respectively. However, the average level of OPG expression in anchovy and milk groups did not differ significantly, as indicated by the probability value of 0.064 (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The mandibular development increases after feeding anchovies compared to the control group. Anchovy is not statistically superior to milk in terms of increasing mandibular development. However, as a high-calcium food, anchovy is well-suited to support children's craniofacial development and growth.

Influence of differences in the hardness and calcium content of diets on the growth of craniofacial bone in rats

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of a soft diet and a low-calcium diet on the craniofacial growth and bone architectures of the maxilla and mandible.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Male rats (n  =  20, 3 weeks old) were divided into four groups. Ten rats were given a normal-calcium diet, and the other rats were given a low-calcium diet. Each group was then divided into two subgroups, which were fed a hard or a soft diet. After 4 weeks, craniofacial growth and architecture in maxillary and mandibular bone were analyzed using cephalometry, micro-computed tomography, and histopathology.

RESULTS

The low-calcium diet had no effect on serum calcium levels. The low-calcium diet had the greatest effect on craniofacial bone growth, while the soft diet affected the growth of several bone sites that are attached to the masseter muscle. A low-calcium diet resulted in the deterioration of the connectivity of the trabeculae in the furcation region of the maxillary and mandibular first molar, while a soft diet resulted in the diffuse disappearance of trabeculae in the central part of the furcation regions. In the midpalatal suture, a low-calcium diet resulted in inhibition of cartilaginous ossification, although the midpalatal suture had a normal cartilaginous structure. A soft diet resulted in narrower cartilage cell layers in the midpalatal suture.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that a low-calcium diet and a soft diet resulted in a deterioration of bone structures in both the maxilla and in the mandible; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects differed between diets.