A high dose of methylprednisolone was administered intramuscularly to
rabbits, and we studied the accumulation of lipid in the osteocytes of the
femoral head by histochemical methods and electron microscopy. Advanced
hyperlipidemia and a fatty liver were observed in four weeks. Electron
microscopy was used to define the ultrastructural changes in osteocytes,
which showed small lipid droplets that gradually enlarged, finally
resulting in the formation of vacuolated vesicles. An increase in the size
of the lipid droplets caused them to compress the nucleus to one side of
the lacuna, resulting in discontinuities of the cell membrane followed by
cell disintegration. These observations demonstrate the effect on
osteocytes of a disturbance in lipid metabolism caused by the
administration of large doses of steroids.