OBJECTIVETo study the influence of experimentally osteoporosis to osteogenic efficiency of bone matrix gelatin(BMG) implanted into the calvarial defects of rats.

METHODSSixty-eight female SD rats of 12 +/- 1 weeks were randomly divided into two groups with 34 rats in each group. The ovaries were excised in the ovariectomized group (VG). The control group underwent sham surgery. Ninety days after ovariectomy, 10 rats from each group were examined to ensure the formation of postmenopausal osteoporosis by measuring bone density of the femur with single photon absorptiometric measurements. A critical-sized (8 mm in diameter) calvarial defect was created on the rest of 48 rats. Bone matrix gelatin was implanted to the defect. The rats were scarified at the 21st and 56th day after surgery respectively. The new bone forming capability of BMG was evaluated with undecalcified histological observation, tetracycline fluorescence marker, quantitative bone histomorphometry, At 90th day after ovariectomy, bone density of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectrometry.

RESULTSOVG showed very significant difference compared with the control group (0.315 +/-.015) g/cm2 vs [(0.347 +/- 0.017) g/cm2, P < 0.01 ]. At the 21st day following the implantation operation, new bone formed within the bone defects in both groups. The amount of new bone in OVG was lower than the control group. The tetracycline-labeled region in the bone defect was sparser in the OVG. At the 56th day, the bone defects healed mostly in the control group but fibrous tissue filled parts of bone defect in the OVG. The distance between two fluorescent lines of incorporated tetracycline and the mean mineralization deposition were significantly lower in the OVG than the control at the 21st day and 56th day. Mineralization of callus in OVG was inferior. Significant difference was found between the OVG and the control group in the calcium to phosphate ratio of callus in bone defects at the two time-points.

CONCLUSIONSExperimentally induced osteoporosis depressed osteogenic efficiency of BMG, suggesting that estrogen could play an important role in bone remodeling with bone substitute participating.