Accumulative effects of 2 weeks' exposure to a 2-G hypergravity state and estrogen treatment upon intact and fractured radii of young female birds.
Female birds were subjected to closed fractured of the right radius at 2 weeks post-hatching and allowed to heal for 14 d. The animals were maintained at either earth gravity or a 2-G hypergravity state with control and 2000 and 4000 IU Estrone-(estrogen) injected groups. Intact and fractured radii were measured for length, weight, average epiphysial-diaphysial diameters, and length, width and weight of fracture callus. Animals receiving 2000 IU estrogen treatment showed decreased intact and fractured bone weight, as well as smaller diaphysial diameters. Fractured, but not intact, bone length was decreased by the two estrogen levels without affecting the callus parameters. Bone weight and average epiphysial diameters of both intact and fractured radii were decreased by the hypergravity state. Intact bone diaphysis and fractured bone length were similarly affected. Large, 4000 IU, estrogen levels potentiated the hypergravity state and reduced distal epiphysial diameter of intact radii.