Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013:2013:234093.
doi: 10.1155/2013/234093. Epub 2013 Dec 3.

External mechanical microstimuli modulate the osseointegration of titanium implants in rat tibiae

Giovanna Zacchetti  1 , Anselm Wiskott  2 , Joël Cugnoni  3 , John Botsis  3 , Patrick Ammann  4
Affiliations

External mechanical microstimuli modulate the osseointegration of titanium implants in rat tibiae

Giovanna Zacchetti et al. Biomed Res Int. 2013.

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the effect of external mechanical microstimuli of controlled magnitude on the microarchitecture of the peri-implant bone beds in rat tibiae.

Materials and methods: Tibiae of forty rats were fitted with two transcutaneous titanium cylinders. After healing, the implants were loaded to 1 to 3 N, five days/week for four weeks. These force levels translated into intraosseous strains of 700 ± 200 με, 1400 ± 400 με, and 2100 ± 600 με. After sacrifice, the implants' pullout strength was assessed. Second, the bone's microarchitecture was analyzed by microcomputed tomography (μCT) in three discrete regions of interest (ROIs). Third, the effect of loading on bone material properties was determined by nanoindentation.

Results: The trabecular BV/TV significantly increased in an ROI of 0.98 mm away from the test implant in the 1 N versus the 3 N group with an opposite trend for cortical thickness. Pull-out strength significantly increased in the 2 N relatively to the nonstimulated group. Higher values of E-modulus and hardness were observed in the trabecular bone of the 2 N group.

Conclusion: The in vivo mechanical loading of implants induces load-dependent modifications in bone microarchitecture and bone material properties in rat tibiae. In pull-out strength measurements, implant osseointegration was maximized at 2 N (1400 ± 400 με).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Radiograph of the implants inserted into the proximal tibial metaphysis. Diagrammatic view showing the position of the test (left) and the anchorage (right) implants. The 3 regions of interest (ROI) are shown. (a) Peri-implant band of bone located around the implant's most apical segment that was still exclusively surrounded by trabecular bone. Height: 56 slices (ca. 1.12 mm), band width: 0.5 mm. (b) ROI number two. Volume of 50 slices (ca. 0.98 mm) including both the cortical and trabecular compartment of bone. Slice number 1 was located immediately outside the distal surface of the test implant. (c) ROI number three. Volume of 100 slices (ca. 1.98 mm) contoured midway between the two implants and also including both the cortical and the trabecular compartments of bone.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of 4 weeks of in vivo mechanical loading on pull-out strength. The pull-out strength measured in the 2 N group was significantly higher compared to NS. *P < 0.05. Means ± SEM. NS: nonstimulated.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Dayer R, Rizzoli R, Kaelin A, Ammann P. Low protein intake is associated with impaired titanium implant osseointegration. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2006;21(2):258–264. - PubMed
    1. Maïmoun L, Brennan TC, Badoud I, Dubois-Ferriere V, Rizzoli R, Ammann P. Strontium ranelate improves implant osseointegration. Bone. 2010;46(5):1436–1441. - PubMed
    1. Dayer R, Brennan TC, Rizzoli R, Ammann P. PTH improves titanium implant fixation more than pamidronate or renutrition in osteopenic rats chronically fed a low protein diet. Osteoporosis International. 2010;21(6):957–967. - PubMed
    1. Lee KCL, Maxwell A, Lanyon LE. Validation of a technique for studying functional adaptation of the mouse ulna in response to mechanical loading. Bone. 2002;31(3):407–412. - PubMed
    1. Lambers FM, Schulte FA, Kuhn G, Webster DJ, Müller R. Mouse tail vertebrae adapt to cyclic mechanical loading by increasing bone formation rate and decreasing bone resorption rate as shown by time-lapsed in vivo imaging of dynamic bone morphometry. Bone. 2011;49(6):1340–1350. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources