Effects of cloxacillin, doxycycline, fusidic acid and lincomycin on the mechanical properties of bone and skin in young rats.

The influence of cloxacillin, doxycycline, fuside acid and lincomycin on the mechanical properties of bone and skin in young rats was examined. The concentrations of the antibiotics in plasma corresponded to therapeutic levels in man. After 14 days of medication the weights of the rats receiving cloxacillin or doxycycline were significantly less when compared with the controls. The doxycycline, the fusidic acid and the lincomycin treated rats had reduced longitudinal growth of femur and reduced tensile strength of intact skin. No differences between any of the antibiotic groups and the control group were found in the tensile strength of incisional skin wounds or in the mechanical properties of the femur and tibia.