Despite its clinical significance, metaphyseal fracture healing has received little attention in research and experimental models have been limited. In particular it is not known to what extent the mechanical environment plays a role in metaphyseal fracture healing. Recently, a new murine internal fixation plate has been developed to stabilise fractures in the distal femur under highly standardised conditions. Goal of the current study was to modify this design, in order to be able to evaluate the influence of the fixator bending stiffness on metaphyseal fracture healing in mice.

Adapting the existing single body design, resulting in low flexibility fixation, two new plates were developed with a decreased bending stiffness of approximately 65% and 45% of the original implant (100%). Pilot experiments were performed on 54 animals, whereas the mice were sacrificed and fracture healing assessed radiologically and biomechanically after 14 and 28 days.

MicroCT evaluation confirmed that the osteotomy was created in the trabecular, metaphyseal bone of the distal mouse femora. All bones showed progressive fracture healing over time, with decreased implant stiffness leading to increased periosteal callus formation.

These implants represent an important new research tool to study molecular and genetic aspects of metaphyseal fracture healing in mice under standardized mechanical conditions, in order to improve clinical treatment in challenging situations, such as in osteoporotic bone.

The immunosuppressive drug rapamycin (RAPA) prevents rejection in organ transplantation by inhibiting interleukin-2-stimulated T-cell division. RAPA has also been suggested to possess strong anti-angiogenic activities linked to a decrease in production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Because VEGF is a key growth factor in fracture healing, the present study was conducted to analyze the effect of RAPA on bone repair.

For the herein introduced study 35 SKH-1Hr mice were treated by a daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of RAPA (1.5mg/kg/d) from the day of fracture until sacrifice. Two or five weeks after fracture, animals were killed and bone healing was analyzed using radiological (n=16 at 2 weeks; n=16 at 5 weeks), biomechanical (n=2x8), and histomorphometric (n=2x8)

Methods: At 2 weeks additional animals were studied to achieve tissue for protein biochemical analysis of VEGF and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA; n=3). Additional 34 mice, which received the vehicle only, served as controls. Analyses in controls were similar to those of RAPA-treated animals.

X-ray analyses demonstrated that RAPA treatment inhibits callus formation after 2 weeks of fracture healing. The radiologically observed lack of callus formation after RAPA treatment was confirmed by histomorphometric analyses, which revealed a significantly diminished callus size and a reduced amount of bone formation when compared to vehicle-treated controls. Biomechanical testing further demonstrated that RAPA significantly reduces torsional stiffness of the callus (11.5±5.9% of the contralateral unfractured femur vs. 28.3±13.9% in controls; p< 0.05). Of interest, this was associated with a decrease of callus VEGF and PCNA expression. After 5 weeks of fracture healing, however, the negative impact of RAPA on fracture healing was found blunted and the radiological, histomorphometric and biomechanical differences observed after 2 weeks could not longer be detected.

We demonstrate that RAPA treatment leads to a severe alteration of early fracture healing. The negative action of RAPA on fracture repair at 2 weeks is most probably due to an inhibition of VEGF expression within the callus as suggested by the results of the Western blot analysis, demonstrating during the early phase of fracture healing a significantly reduced expression of VEGF and PCNA after RAPA treatment. This indicates a substantial alteration of cell proliferation and angiogenic vascularization during initial fracture healing. Since T-cells contribute to delayed fracture healing, RAPA may promote bone healing at later stages due to a reduction of interleukin-2-stimulated Tcell division.

During the last decades numerous studies have reported the critical impact of physical activity on bone repair. While most studies have evaluated the tissue response to the local mechanical environment within the fracture gap, there is a lack of information on the systemic role of physical activity during fracture healing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to standardize the mechanical environment in the fracture gap by developing a rotationally and axially stable murine fracture model, and thereby to analyze the systemic influence of physical activity on early bone repair.

After stable fixation of a closed femoral fracture, mice (n=18) were housed in cages supplied with running wheels (running distance > 500m/d). At 2 weeks animals were sacrificed and bones were prepared for histomorphometric (n=7), biomechanical (n=7), and protein biochemical analyses (n=4). Additional mice (n=22), which were housed in standard cages, served as controls.

Histomorphometric evaluation showed no influence of increased physical activity on bone repair in terms of callus size and tissue composition. Accordingly, also biomechanical testing of the callus revealed no differences between both groups in rotational stiffness, peak rotation angle, and load at failure. Western blot analyses demonstrated no alterations in callus expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after daily running when compared to controls.

We conclude that increased physical activity under standardized mechanical conditions in the fracture gap does not affect early bone repair in mice.

Deficiencies of folate and vitamin B6 and B12 as well as increased methionine serum concentrations have been indicated to disturb bone metabolism, most probably due to an induction of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY). However, there is a complete lack of information on whether these metabolic changes affect fracture healing.

Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the impact of a methionine-enriched (n=13) and a B vitamin-deficient diet (n=14) on bone repair in mice. Controls were fed by the accordant standard diet (n=12 and n=13). Four weeks after stable fixation of a closed femoral fracture, animals were sacrificed to prepare bones for histomorphometric and biomechanical analyses. In addition, blood samples were obtained to evaluate serum concentrations of homocysteine (HCY), folate, and vitamin B12.

Quantitative analysis of blood samples revealed significantly increased serum concentrations of HCY associated with significantly decreased serum concentrations of folate and vitamin B12 in animals fed with the methionine-enriched diet or the B vitamin-deficient diet when compared to controls. Biomechanical evaluation showed no significant differences in bending stiffness between bones of the experimental and those of the control groups. In accordance, the histomorphometric analysis demonstrated a comparable size and tissue composition of the callus in all groups analyzed.

We conclude that a methionine-enriched and a B vitamin-deficient diet leads to HHCY, however, without affecting bone repair in mice.