Abstract
Alcohol abuse and vitamin D deficiency are extremely common worldwide. Alcohol consumption has been identified to reduce blood vitamin D levels, which may lead to a negative impact on bone health. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency itself is known to restrict calcium absorption, which is commonly associated with a loss of bone’s mechanical ability. Specifically, both these factors contribute to bone fragility through a decrease in bone mineralization, but less is known about how they alter bone protein. This study will investigate the effects of excessive alcohol and vitamin D-limited diets on mouse bone mineral and protein composition and their consequent impact on bone’s mechanical behavior. To accomplish this, mechanical properties of mouse bone will be assessed through cyclic reference point indentation and bending tests. Additionally, bone microstructure and tissue mineral density will be assessed through microcomputed tomography imaging while changes to its protein makeup will be assessed by measurement of collagen crosslinks known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). We hypothesize that vitamin D deficient and excessive alcohol diets will negatively affect bone AGEs and mineralization leading to deteriorated bone mechanical properties of murine bone.