The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 74, Issue 5 705-712, Copyright © 1992 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Inhibition of heterotopic osteogenesis in rats by a new bioerodible system for local delivery of indomethacin
E Solheim, EM Pinholt, G Bang and E Sudmann
Institute for Surgical Research, Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, Norway.
A study was done to evaluate the effect of a system for the local delivery
of indomethacin on demineralized bone-induced formation of heterotopic bone
in the abdominal muscles of rats. Two separate investigations were
conducted on a total of forty-eight Wistar rats. In both series, two types
of implants were used: polyorthoester and demineralized bone (Group A, the
control group) and polyorthoester with 5 per cent indomethacin and
demineralized bone (Group B, the experimental group). In the first series,
host-tissue responses and osteoinduction were evaluated histologically at
two, three, and four weeks after the implantation. In the second series,
the formation of bone was quantified on the basis of uptake of 85Sr at four
weeks after the implantation. The polyorthoester system for the local
delivery of indomethacin significantly inhibited demineralized bone-induced
heterotopic formation of bone, as demonstrated by light microscopy and by
uptake of 85Sr. The polyorthoester, with or without the drug, caused little
tissue reaction and was resorbed almost completely at four weeks.