Effect of cefazolin and cefuroxime on fracture healing in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of cefazolin and cefuroxime (the two most commonly used beta lactam antibiotics) at therapeutic doses in fracture healing in an animal model.


METHODS
75 adult male wistar rats (3months old) were selected. They were divided into three groups of 25 animals each (placebo, cefazolin and cefuroxime). A closed fracture was made in the middle third of the right femur of each rat and fixed with a Kirschner wire. Each group was treated with either saline (placebo), cefazolin or cefuroxime at therapeutic doses during fracture healing. Four weeks after fracture rats were killed and femora analysed through mechanical and histological testing.


RESULTS
The group treated with cefuroxime showed a lower mechanical resistance of the healing callus and a lower histological grade than placebo. The group treated with cefazoline showed a similar mechanical resistance and histological grade of callus to placebo.


CONCLUSIONS
Cefuroxime appear to disturb fracture healing more than cefazolin or placebo in Wistar rats. If those results are similar to human, the use of cefuroxime during fracture healing should be avoided in the clinical setting, if possible.
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Spain.
Moises
M
Natividad-Pedreño
Primary Care Physician, Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Spain.
Alberto
A
Nuñez-Chia
Primary Care Physician, Mancha Real, Jaén, Spain.
Nuria
N
Cobo-Valenzuela
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Hospital San Agustin, Linares, Spain.
Tomas
T
Alcantara-Martos
Industrial Engineer, Professor ETS Ingenieros Industriales, UNED, Apdo Correos 60149, 28080, Madrid, Spain.
Maria T
MT
Carrascal
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Head Department Hospital Reina Sofia, IMIBIC, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Professor Department of Surgery, Ed. B-3, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Lagunillas S/N, 23071 Jaén, Spain. Electronic address: adelgado@ujaen.es.
Alberto D
AD
Delgado-Martinez
D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002437:Cefazolin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002444:Cefuroxime / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000075202:Contraindications; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000473:pathology*; D005269:Femur / Q000473:pathology; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D005596:Fractures, Closed / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D002437:Cefazolin; D002444:Cefuroxime
Antibiotics; Cefazolin; Cefuroxime; Fracture healing; Rats