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Bone Abstracts (2013) 1 OC2.3 | DOI: 10.1530/boneabs.01.OC2.3

1Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Centre of Musculoskeletal Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany; 2Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.


Introduction: Fracture healing is impaired in aged and osteoporotic patients. Because bone formation is tightly regulated by the mechanical conditions in the fracture gap and because suitable mechanical stimuli improve fracture healing (Claes et al. 1998), we investigated whether low-magnitude high-frequency vibration (LMHFV; Rubin et al. 2004) is able to improve delayed fracture healing induced by age and ovariectomy in mice.

Sudy design and methods: Female C57BL/6NCrl mice (n=80) were either ovariectomized (OVX) or sham operated at an age of 41 weeks. Eight weeks later all animals received an osteotomy of the right femur, which was stabilized using an external fixator. Starting on the third postoperative day, all animals were placed on vibration platforms (20 min/day; 5 days/week), and received either a mechanical intervention therapy (f=45 Hz, apeak-to-peak=0.3 g) or no vibration (control groups). The animals were sacrificed on d21 and the femora were analysed by biomechanical testing, μ-computed tomography and histomorphometry.

Results: The vibration provoked different effects in non-OVX and OVX mice. In non-OVX mice, vibration significantly decreased the bending stiffness of the fracture callus in comparison to non-vibrated controls (901 vs 174 Nmm2) as well as bone formation in the fracture gap (μCT-analysis: BV/TV: 47 vs 16%; histomorphometry: bone fraction in callus: 44 vs 14%). In OVX mice vibration resulted in a significantly improved bending stiffness (47 vs 689 Nmm2) and bone formation in the fracture callus (BV/TV: 9 vs 36%; bone fraction in callus: 7 vs 49%).

Conclusion: LMHFV significantly improved fracture healing in aged, ovariectomized mice whereas it significantly impaired fracture healing in intact animals of the same age. This might indicate that estrogen plays a major role in the mechanobiology of fracture repair.

Volume 1

European Calcified Tissue Society Congress 2013

Lisbon, Portugal
18 May 2013 - 22 May 2013

European Calcified Tissue Society 

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