Effect of Water-Soluble Silicon Supplementation on Bone Status and Balance of Calcium and Magnesium in Male Mice.

Silicon (Si) is important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissues. Several studies have reported that Si supplementation improved bone mineral density (BMD) in female ovarectomized rats. However, few studies have investigated the effects of Si supplementation on bone status and bone metabolism in male animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Si supplementation on BMD and balance of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in adult male mice. Si was administrated orally through demineralized water containing different contents of Si as a form of sodium metasilicate (0 %, control; 0.025 %, Si50; 0.050 %, Si100; and 0.075 %, Si150) to 9-week-old male mice for 4 weeks. Si supplementation did not alter weight gain or BMD of femur and tibia in male mice. However, a high level of Si (0.05 and 0.075 %) supplementation significantly decreased Mg retention without changing Ca retention. Serum alkaline phosphatase of Si-supplemented groups significantly decreased compared with that of the control. According to these results, short-term Si supplementation did not affect BMD but showed a possible effect on increasing the need for Mg in adult male mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]