Combined treatment of alendronate and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) increases bone mineral density at the cancellous bone osteotomy site in aged rats: a preliminary study

• Published in: Journal of Nepal Medical Association Vol. 51; no. 184; pp. 171 - 175
• Main Authors: Aonuma, H, Miyakoshi, N, Kasukawa, Y, Kamo, K, Sasaki, H, Tsuchie, H, Segawa, T, Shimada, Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nepal Nepal Medical Association 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Alendronate - therapeutic use; Animals; Bone Density; Bone Density Conservation Agents - therapeutic use; Bone Regeneration; Bony Callus; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Osteotomy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tibia - diagnostic imaging; Tibia - drug effects; Tibia - surgery; Ultrasonic Therapy - methods; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 0028-2715; 1815-672X
• DOI: 10.31729/jnma.14

During fracture healing, alendronate encourages callus volume by inhibiting bone resorption, whereas low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) enhances bone regeneration by promoting an anabolic response. In the present study, 9-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats, with a unilateral proximal tibial osteotomy, were treated with alendronate (daily, 1 µg/kg) plus sham-LIPUS (n = 14), saline plus LIPUS (20 min/day) (n = 18), alendronate plus LIPUS (n = 16), or saline plus sham-LIPUS as a control (n = 13) for 4 weeks. The rats were then examined for changes in bone mineral density (BMD) during metaphyseal bone repair. The combined therapy significantly increased BMD at the osteotomy site at 4 weeks (p < 0.001) compared with the control, without affecting the contralateral, non-osteotomized tibia. Both alendronate and LIPUS alone also exerted a positive, albeit less, effect on BMD in the affected limb (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Alendronate and LIPUS cooperate to enhance BMD during metaphyseal bone healing.