Weak effect of strontium on early implant fixation in rat tibia

Strontium ranelate increases bone mass and is used in the treatment of osteoporosis. Its effects in metaphyseal bone repair are largely unknown. We inserted a stainless steel and a PMMA screw into each tibia of male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were fed with ordinary feed (n=20) or with addition of strontium ranelate (800 mg/kg/day; n=10). As a positive control, half of the animals on control feed received alendronate subcutaneously. The pullout force of the stainless steel screws was measured after 4 or 8 weeks, and µCT was used to assess bone formation around the PMMA screws. No significant effects of strontium treatment on pullout force were observed, but animals treated with bisphosphonate showed a doubled pullout force. Strontium improved the micro architecture of the cancellous bone below the primary spongiosa at the growth plate, but no significant effects were found around the implants. Strontium is known to improve bone density, but it appears that this effect is weak in conjunction with metaphyseal bone repair and early implant fixation.