Do antiosteoporotic drugs improve bone regeneration in vivo?

Purpose Treatment of complex fractures in the elderly is a challenge for operative reconstruction due to degraded bone structure. Early peri-operative bone anabolic treatment could improve new bone formation, avoid implant loosening and accelerate fracture healing. Methods To compare the osteoanabolic potential of different drugs after distraction osteogenesis, 168 female Sprague–Dawley rats underwent lengthening of the right femur using a monolateral external fixator. Animals were randomly divided into six groups: vehicle-injected group, PTH(1-34), raloxifen, strontium ranelate, alendronate and simvastatin. Histomorphometry, CT-scanning, DEXA- and biomechanical analysis were performed to evaluate new bone formation, callus volume, mineralisation and biomechanical strength. Expression of bone metabolic mediators and differentiation indicators of distracted and intact bone were examined by RT-PCR and western blot. Results Histological analysis showed significant increase of the bone mass after treatment with PTH(1-34), raloxifen and strontium ranelate ( p = 0.02). Raloxifen increased bone mineral content (BMC) of the whole distracted femur significantly ( p = 0.007). Callus volume was significantly larger in the PTH(1-34), raloxifen and simvastatin groups ( p = 0.001) compared to control. Ultimate load of distracted new formed bone was increased in PTH(1-34) and raloxifen groups. It seems that PTH(1-34) and raloxifen have a stronger effect on bone where a repair response is activated. Strontium ranelate demonstrates similar effects to PTH regarding new bone formation but shows low values for mineralisation and biomechanical strength. Conclusion This study suggests that peri-operative treatment of complex and/or osteoporotic fractures with PTH(1-34) and raloxifen might be useful as a stimulator of bone formation and mineralisation to shorten the consolidation time in humans.