Ohno Teruyasu, Shigetomi Mitsunori, Ihara Koichiro, Matsunaga Tsunemitsu, Hashimoto Takahiro, Kawano Hiroo, Sugiyama Toshihiro, Kawai Shinya
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Transplantation. 2003 Sep 15;76(5):869-71. doi: 10.1097/01.TP.0000074992.49236.58.
Some statins have been reported to suppress the immune system and increase the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 gene that plays a pivotal role in bone regeneration.
The effects of cerivastatin on skeletal reconstruction by vascularized bone allograft were investigated in a rat tibia-fibula graft model. After transplantation, the recipient rats were treated with vehicle, low-dose cerivastatin, high-dose cerivastatin, or cyclosporine A.
Transplanted bones treated with low-dose cerivastatin and vehicle failed to unite with the recipient bones. In contrast, high-dose cerivastatin induced the bone union as effectively as cyclosporine A. Histologically, high-dose cerivastatin-treated transplanted bones were nonvital, but new bone formation occurred at the outer layer of the nonvital cortex.
These results indicate that statins could promote fracture healing. Because transplant recipients have the increased risks of osteoporotic fracture and hypercholesterolemia, statins may be a good choice in the treatment of these patients.
