The effects of leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast on histological, radiological and densitometric parameters of fracture healing
Hüsamettin Çakıcı1, Onur Hapa2, Kaan Gideroğlu3, Kutay Özturan1, Melih Güven1, Halil Yalçın Yüksel4, Fahri Yılmaz5
1Departments of Orthopedics and Traumatology
2Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Medicine Faculty of Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey
3Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
44Department of 3rd Orthopedics and Traumatology, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
5Pathology, Medicine Faculty of Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey
Keywords: Experimental study; fracture healing; leukotriene-receptor antagonist; montelukast.
Abstract
Objectives: In this study we evaluated the effects of montelukast, a leukotriene-receptor antagonist, on fracture healing, and investigated the hypothesis that enhanced fracture healing would be observed with montelukast in a rat tibia fracture model. Materials and methods: Sixty adult (6 months old) female Wistar albino rats (mean weight 220 g, range 210-270 g) were randomly divided into two groups: a montelukast group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). Closed tibia fractures were created and fixed by intramedullary Kirschner wire. The rats were sacrificed three and six weeks after the fractures. Radiological and histological evaluations were performed, and bone mineral density was measured.
Results: Three rats died in the montelukast group, whereas only one died in the control group during the study. Initial weight and weight gain at the 3rd a nd 6 th weeks were not significantly different between the groups (p>0.05). Bone mineral densities in the control and study groups were 0.13±0.009 gr/cm2, and 0.13±0.01 gr/cm2 a t w eek t hree and 0.16±0.02 gr/cm2, and 0.13±0.01 gr/cm2 at week six, respectively. Histopathological scores in the control and study groups were 3.42±0.6, and 3.0±0.0 at week three and 3.5±0.5, and 3.4±0.8 at week six, respectively. Radiological scores in the control and study groups were 1.19±0.6, and 1.0±0.6 at week three and 3.0±0.8, and 2.9±0.9 at week six, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in any parameters evaluated at either time interval (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Our study failed to show a possible positive effect of leukotriene receptor inhibition on fracture healing at the 3rd and 6th postoperative weeks.