Promotion of fracture healing by vitamin E in rats

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Turk C. Y., Halici M., Guney A., Akgun H., Sahin V., Muhtaroglu S.

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH, vol.32, no.5, pp.507-512, 2004 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 32 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2004
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/147323000403200508
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.507-512
  • Keywords: vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, antioxidant, fracture healing, malondialdehyde, rat, FREE-RADICALS, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY, TISSUE-INJURY, INVIVO
  • Erciyes University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

We investigated the effects of the antioxidant alpha-tocopherol on early- and late-phase fracture healing in a rat model. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into two groups. The right tibia of each rat was fractured manually under anaesthesia, and fracture sites fixed with intramedullary Kirschner wires. The alpha-tocopherol group received 20 mg/kg alpha-tocopherol intraperitoneally; the control group received intraperitoneal saline injections. Ten rats from each group were sacrificed on day 15, day 45 and day 60. In the alpha-tocopherol group, malondialdehyde concentrations, a measure of lipid peroxidation associated with oxygen free radicals, were significantly decreased on day 15 and day 45 compared with the control group, but had regained the 15-day value on day 60. On histopathological and radiological assessment, fracture healing on day 60 was significantly more advanced in the alpha-tocopherol group. We conclude that alpha-tocopherol has a positive effect on both early and late-phase fracture healing, and may be beneficial in clinical fracture cases.