A collagen extraction and deuterium oxide stable isotope tracer method for the quantification of bone collagen synthesis rates in vivo.

Abstract The development of safe and practical strategies to prevent weakening of bone tissue is vital, yet attempts to achieve this have been hindered by a lack of understanding of the short‐term (days‐weeks) physiology of bone collagen turnover. To address this, we have developed a method to quantify bone collagen synthesis in vivo, using deuterium oxide (D2O) tracer incorporation techniques combined with gas chromatography pyrolysis isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry (GC‐pyrolysis‐IRMS). Forty‐six male and female rats from a selectively bred model ingested D2O for 3 weeks. Femur diaphyses (FEM), tibia proximal (T‐PRO), and distal (T‐DIS) epiphyses‐metaphyses and tibia mid‐shaft diaphyses (T…