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Ovariectomy-Induced Osteoporosis in Rodents: A Model for Menopausal Bone Loss Research

Osteoporosis is a significant musculoskeletal disorder that adversely affects health and quality of life, particularly in postmenopausal women. The decline in estrogen levels during menopause leads to decreased bone density, increasing the risk of fractures. Animal models, especially rodents such as rats, mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs, have become crucial for studying the pathophysiology of osteoporosis and developing new therapies. The ovariectomy model in rodents is used to mimic menopause by inducing estrogen deficiency.
This systematic review follows PRISMA guidelines and includes articles published in English over the past decade from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Out of 128 identified articles, 26 studies met the inclusion criteria, involving various rodent species and evaluation methods such as MicroCT and DXA. The review results show that ovariectomy consistently leads to decreased bone density and deterioration of trabecular bone microarchitecture in all rodent species studied, confirming the validity of this model for osteoporosis research.
Mice and rats are more frequently used due to their low cost and short life cycles, whereas rabbits and guinea pigs offer advantages for long-term studies and detailed bone quality evaluation. This review concludes that the ovariectomy rodent model is an effective tool for evaluating therapeutic interventions for osteoporosis and emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate animal model based on research objectives.