Effects of Jintiange on the healing of osteoporotic fractures in aged rats.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of Jintiange on enhancing the healing of osteoporotic fractures in aged rats. METHODS: An osteoporotic fracture model of femur was established using 70 SD rats (aged&#x2009;>&#x2009;12 months), which were randomly numbered and divided into an experimental group and a control group, each with an equal sample size (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;35). The experimental group received Jintiange capsule ingredients via intragastric administration, while the control group received an equal volume of saline via the same method. X-ray examinations were conducted at the 4th and 12th weeks to evaluate fracture healing in the rats. After 12 weeks, micro-CT scanning was employed to assess the microstructure of the healthy femurs, and the parameters of the experimental and control groups were compared. RESULTS: After 4 weeks, the mean fracture healing scores were 0.78&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;0.43 in the experimental group and 0.56&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;0.51 in the control group. After 12 weeks, the mean scores were 1.50&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;0.71 in the experimental group and 0.96&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;0.68 in the control group. The scores in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). Micro-CT examination of the femurs showed an improvement trend in bone microarchitecture in the experimental group, indicated by increased bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb. N), and trabecular thickness (Tb. Th). However, these improvements were not statistically significant. A negative correlation with statistical significance was observed between trabecular separation (Tb. Sp) and fracture healing scores. CONCLUSIONS: Jintiange may promote osteoporotic fracture healing in aged rats by enhancing bone microstructure.