Effects of boric acid on the healing of Achilles tendons of rats.
OBJECTIVE
Tendinous lesions are among the most frequent pathologies encountered in sportsmen. The objectives of new treatments are to improve the healing process and reduce the recovery time. Boron plays an important role in the wound repair process by increasing components of extracellular matrix and angiogenesis. This animal study aimed to investigate the effect of boric acid on healing of the Achilles tendon.


METHODS
The right Achilles tendons of 40 rats were completely sectioned, and the rats were randomly divided into five groups. Each group consisted of eight rats. Groups 1 and 2 were oral boric acid groups with the doses of 4 and 8 mg/kg/day boric acid, respectively. Group 3 was the local boric acid group (8 mg/kg boric acid intratendinous injection). Group 4 was administered both oral and local boric acid (8 mg/kg/day orally and 8 mg/kg boric acid intratendinous injection), and group 5 was the control group with no boric acid application. At the end of the fourth week, all the rats were killed and histopathological examination of the Achilles tendon repair site was made.


RESULTS
Histopathological examination of the tissue sections revealed more properly oriented collagen fibres, more normal cellular distribution of tenocytes and more properly organized vascular bundles in group 1 and group 2, which were the groups administered oral boric acid. Pathological sum scores of groups 1 and 2 were less than those of the other groups, and the differences between the oral boric acid groups (group 1 and group 2) and the other three groups (groups 3, 4 and 5) were statistically significant (p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
As boric acid is safe and toxicity even after very high doses is unusual, oral boric acid may be used as an agent to improve the healing process of tendon injuries. However, biomechanical tests should also be performed to show the effect of boric acid on strength and endurance of the tendon before it can be used in clinical practice.
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kepez, Çanakkale, Turkey. kaymaz23@yahoo.com.
Burak
B
Kaymaz
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kepez, Çanakkale, Turkey.
Umut Hatay
UH
Gölge
Department of Pathology, Medical School, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
Gulzade
G
Ozyalvaclı
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kepez, Çanakkale, Turkey.
Erkam
E
Kömürcü
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Kepez, Çanakkale, Turkey.
Ferdi
F
Goksel
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey.
Musa Ugur
MU
Mermerkaya
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Medical School, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Mahmut Nedim
MN
Doral
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001888:Boric Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000187:drug effects; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D000070916:Tenocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
D001888:Boric Acids; D003094:Collagen; C032688:boric acid
Achilles tendon; Angiogenesis; Boric acid; Collagen fibres; Rats; Tendon healing