Freezing of rat tibiae at -20°c does not affect the mechanical properties of intramedullary bone/implant-interface: brief report
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Updated: May 31, 2026
Surgical Bone Implantation Technique for Rat Tibia Models of Diabetes and Osteoporosis
Published on: July 5, 2024
Michael Diefenbeck1, Thomas Mückley, Sergiy Zankovych
1Klinik für Unfall-, Hand- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Erlanger Allee 101, D-07747 Jena, Germany.
Background:
The effects of freezing-thawing cycles on intramedullary bone-implant interfaces have been studied in a rat model in mechanical pull-out tests. IMPLANTS: Twenty TiAl6V4 rods (Ø 0.8 mm, length 10 mm) implanted in rat tibiae
Methods:
10 rats underwent bilateral tibial implantation of titanium rods. At eight weeks, the animals were sacrificed and tibiae harvested for biomechanical testing. Eight tibiae were frozen and stored at -20°C for 14 days, the remaining eight were evaluated immediately post-harvest. Pull-out tests were used to determine maximum force and interfacial shear strength.
Results:
There were no significant differences between fresh and those of the frozen-thawed group in maximum force or in interfacial shear strength.
Conclusion:
Frozen Storage of rat tibiae containing implants at -20° C has no effects on the biomechanical properties of Bone/ Implant interface.
