title: Effects of salmon calcitonin on fracture healing in ovariectomized rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effects of salmon calcitonin on the healing process of osteoporotic fractures in ovariectomized rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed this study in The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, China, during the period March 2002 to December 2004. We used 120 female adult Wistar rats in this experiment, among which 90 underwent ovariectomy (OVX) and the other 30 had sham-operation. All rats had their left tibias fractured 3 months later. The 90 OVX rats were randomly divided into 3 groups with 30 in each, while the 30 sham-operated rats served as control group. After the fracture the rats had subcutaneous injection of normal saline, salmon calcitonin and estrogen, respectively. X-ray film, histological examination, bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and biomechanics testing were carried out to evaluate the fracture healing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with OVX rats treated with normal saline, the rats with salmon calcitonin had significantly higher BMD values in the left tibia, higher max torque, shear stress of the left tibia 8 weeks after fracture (p<0.05), and presented with stronger callus formation, shorter fracture healing time and faster normalization of microstructure of bone trabeculae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Salmon calcitonin can, not only increase BMD in osteoporotic bone, but also enhance the bone biomechanical properties and improve the process of fracture healing in fractured osteoporotic bone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinle
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Nansheng
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Bingfang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; C028815:salmon calcitonin; D002116:Calcitonin