Cancellous bone healing around strontium-doped hydroxyapatite in osteoporotic rats previously treated with zoledronic acid.

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are potent anti-osteoporotic agents. Strontium-doped hydroxyapatite (HA) (SrHA) has been reported to increase bone density and improve trabecular microarchitecture in osteoporotic animals. But information about the effect of SrHA on the surrounding bone tissue in osteoporotic animals previously on BPs treatment is limited. We hypothesize that SrHA will induce increased bone density in the vicinity of the material when compared to HA, even in osteoporotic animals previously treated with BPs. HA and 10%SrHA (HA with 10 mol % calcium substituted by strontium) implants were prepared and characterized by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Osteoporotic animal model was established by bilateral ovariectomy. Twelve weeks later, all OVX rats accepted subcutaneous injection of zoledronic acid (ZOL) at the dose of 1.5 μg/kg weekly for another twelve weeks. Subsequently, rod-shaped HA and SrHA implants were inserted in the distal femur of the OVX animals previously treated with ZOL. Eight weeks after implantation, specimens were harvested for histological and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis. Compared to HA, 10%SrHA raised the percent bone volume by 32.7%, the mean trabecular thickness by 36.5%, the mean trabecular number by 34.3%, the mean connectivity density by 38.4%, while the mean trabecular separation showed no significant difference. 10%SrHA also increased the bone area density by 36.3% in histological analysis. Results from this study indicated that 10%SrHA increased bone density and improved trabecular microarchitecture around implants in osteoporotic animals previously treated with ZOL when compared to HA.