Phosphate Binding with Sevelamer Preserves Mechanical Competence of Bone Despite Acidosis in Advanced Experimental Renal Insufficiency

Phosphate binding with sevelamer can ameliorate detrimental histomorphometric changes of bone in chronic renal insufficiency (CRI). Here we explored the effects of sevelamer-HCl treatment on bone strength and structure in experimental CRI. Forty-eight 8-week-old rats were assigned to surgical 5/6 nephrectomy (CRI) or renal decapsulation (Sham). After 14 weeks of disease progression, the rats were allocated to untreated and sevelamer-treated (3% in chow) groups for 9 weeks. Then the animals were sacrificed, plasma samples collected, and femora excised for structural analysis (biomechanical testing, quantitative computed tomography). Sevelamer-HCl significantly reduced blood pH, and final creatinine clearance in the CRI groups ranged 30%-50% of that in the Sham group. Final plasma phosphate increased 2.4- to 2.9-fold, and parathyroid hormone 13- to 21-fold in CRI rats, with no difference between sevelamer-treated and untreated animals. In the femoral midshaft, CRI reduced cortical bone mineral density (-3%) and breaking load (-15%) (p