Influence of different doses of synthetic PTH (1-34) on autogenous bone graft healing. Study in rats

PTH has been investigated for its benefits on bone healing and osteoporosis treatment; however, there is poor information regarding bone grafts. This study therefore investigated the effect of PTH on autogenous bone graft healing. One bone graft was harvested from the calvarium with a trephine bur (3mm internal diameter), and placed on the cortical near the mandible angle with a titanium screw. The animals were randomly assigned to: G1-(control): subcutaneous injections of vehicle solution, three-times/week (n=15); G2 - 2?g/Kg of PTH(1-34), three-times/week (n=15); G3 - 40?g/Kg of PTH(1-34), three-times/week (n=15). These animals were killed 30 days postoperatively, the specimens (implant+bed+graft) removed and used for undecalcified sections. The following histometric parameters were evaluated: total bone thickness (bed+gap+graft - TT), graft thickness (GT) (adjacent to the implant), Bone-to-implant contact (BIC), and bone area (BA) (within the limits of the threads). Five additional animals were sacrificed immediately after surgery (zero hour-ZH) to register bed and graft sizes prior to healing. G3 presented a significantly greater bone gain when compared to G1 and G2 (TT and GT, p<0,05). In relation to initial thickness (ZH), G1 and G2 showed a total contraction of 15,91% and 20,83%, respectively, while G3 showed a slight bone gain (1.21%). Data analysis revealed a significant difference for G3, when compared to G1 and G2 (p <0.01). No differences were observed for BIC and BA (p>0,05). Systemic administration of PTH (1-34) prevented graft contraction and increased bone augmentation after the autogenous bone graft healing...