Alendronate enhances osseous healing in a rat calvarial defect model

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alendronate on osseous wound healing in an experimental model. Methods: Critical size defects were created in calvaria of 40 male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into four groups of 10 animals each: autogenous bone graft group; autogenous bone graft with systemic alendronate group (0.01 mg /kg body weight per day for 8 weeks); autogenous bone graft with local alendronate group (1 mg/mL for 5 min); non-treatment (control) group. Animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks; osteoblast number, lamellar bone formation, and area of newly formed bone were analysed. Results: The osteoblast number significantly increased in the autogenous bone graft with local alendronate group compared to the autogenous bone graft group (p < 0.05). Both systemic and local application of the alendronate significantly increased the new bone formation compared to the autogenous bone graft group (p < 0.05) with no significant difference between local or systemic use (p > 0.05). Local alendronate and autogenous bone graft use significantly increased the total bone area compared to autogenous bone graft alone (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Alendronate enhances the new bone formation by autogenous bone graft in the rat calvarial defect model suggesting that the inhibition of the osteoclastic activity allows an increased rate of bone apposition, which could be applicable to the inflammation-induced destruction of the periodontal tissues during disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.