Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers

Knapp, Gero; Langenstein, Judith; Bauer, Natali; Stötzel, Sabine; Heiss, Christian; Jahed, Vahid; Alzweiri, Muhammad; Biehl, Christoph; El Khassawna, Thaqif

doi:10.3390/nu17213353

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Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers

by

Gero Knapp

^1,2,†

,

Judith Langenstein

^3,†,

Natali Bauer

³,

Sabine Stötzel

²,

Christian Heiss

^1,2,4,

Vahid Jahed

¹

,

Muhammad Alzweiri

⁵,

Christoph Biehl

^1,2,†

and

Thaqif El Khassawna

^1,5,*,†

¹

Experimental Trauma Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Aulweg 128, 35392 Giessen, Germany

²

Department of Trauma-, Hand- and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Rudolf-Buchheim-Strasse 7, 35392 Giessen, Germany

³

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Clinical Pathology and Clinical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Frankfurter-Strasse 126, 35392 Giessen, Germany

⁴

Biruni University, Istanbul 34015, Türkiye

⁵

School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Nutrients 2025, 17(21), 3353; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213353 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 25 September 2025 / Revised: 17 October 2025 / Accepted: 19 October 2025 / Published: 24 October 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Metabolism)

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: We evaluated serum and urinary biomarkers of bone and energy metabolism in an ovine osteoporosis model (Control, OVX, OVXD, OVXDS) at 0/3/8 months (M). Methods: Morning sampling; DXA (ROI ‘abdominal width’) and linear mixed models for repeated measures. Results: Only OVXDS showed severe DXA loss (Z-scores −3.29 at 3 M; −4.86 at 8 M), with ≈20% and ≈30% BMD reductions at 3 M and 8 M versus controls. OVX and OVXD remained within age-expected Z-score ranges at 8 M. At 3 M, OVXDS had hypocalcemia, markedly elevated UFEP, near-zero 25-OH-vitamin-D, and suppressed osteocalcin/NTX (depressed turnover). By 8 M, osteocalcin rose in OVXDS while NTX stayed low, consistent with altered coupling under chronic glucocorticoids and vitamin D deficiency. OVXD showed milder, later changes. Fructosamine and insulin were transiently higher in OVXDS at 3 M; IGF-1 was stable across groups/time. Conclusions: Combined ovariectomy, calcium/vitamin-D-deficient diet, and glucocorticoids produce the clearest biomarker signature and DXA loss. Assay cross-reactivity limited PTH/DKK-1/cathepsin-K measurement in sheep; we summarize DXA outcomes and expand assay limitations and future validation plans.

Keywords: osteoporosis; sheep model; biochemical markers; bone metabolism; calcium; vitamin; healthy diet

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MDPI and ACS Style

Knapp, G.; Langenstein, J.; Bauer, N.; Stötzel, S.; Heiss, C.; Jahed, V.; Alzweiri, M.; Biehl, C.; El Khassawna, T. Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers. Nutrients 2025, 17, 3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213353

AMA Style

Knapp G, Langenstein J, Bauer N, Stötzel S, Heiss C, Jahed V, Alzweiri M, Biehl C, El Khassawna T. Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers. Nutrients. 2025; 17(21):3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213353

Chicago/Turabian Style

Knapp, Gero, Judith Langenstein, Natali Bauer, Sabine Stötzel, Christian Heiss, Vahid Jahed, Muhammad Alzweiri, Christoph Biehl, and Thaqif El Khassawna. 2025. "Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers" Nutrients 17, no. 21: 3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213353

APA Style

Knapp, G., Langenstein, J., Bauer, N., Stötzel, S., Heiss, C., Jahed, V., Alzweiri, M., Biehl, C., & El Khassawna, T. (2025). Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers. Nutrients, 17(21), 3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213353

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Metabolic Disruption in Osteoporotic Sheep: Evaluating Vitamin D Deficiency and Cortisone Effects via Biochemical Markers

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