title: Effect of clodronate on fracture healing in denervated rats.
abstract: The effect of clodronate on healing of the fracture of osteopenic bone was studied in rats. A total of 165 female rats (14 +/- 1 weeks, 216 +/- 2 g) were divided into five fracture groups (n = 30), and a neurectomized group (n = 15). Osteopenia (op) was induced by right sciatic neurectomy 4 weeks before the fracture. Nonosteopenic (nop) rats were not operated. A closed prepinned diaphyseal fracture of the right femur was done by three-point bending method both to op and nop rats, and the left femur served as an unoperated control. All the fracture groups were divided into treatment (clodronate 10 mg/kg/day sc) and control (saline sc) groups, and the administration was continued throughout the study. The op rats were killed 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks and nop rats 8 weeks after the fracture. Fracture healing was examined by x-ray and bone-bending strength. Neurectomy reduced bone strength (p < 0.01) at 4 weeks. Clodronate did not affect the bending strength of healing callus of op rats at 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks after fracture, but reduced the strength of healing callus in nop rats (p < 0.05) at 8 weeks. Radiologic callus width increased in clodronate-treated groups both in op (8 and 12 weeks, p < 0.001) and nop rats (8 weeks, p < 0.05) when compared with saline-treated groups. Clodronate did not affect normal bone strength. In conclusion, clodronate did not affect the bending strength of op fracture nor the strength of the control bones. The remodeling of the fracture was delayed with clodronate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tarvainen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olkkonen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nevalainen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hyvönen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arnala
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alhava
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004002:Clodronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D004002:Clodronic Acid