Evaluation of the effects of locally applied rosuvastatin on bone formation in a three-dimensional reconstruction rabbit xenograft model

Abstract

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is commonly performed to repair bone defects, and rigid occlusive titanium barriers play a vital role in bone formation in regions with no prior bone tissue. The statin, rosuvastatin (RSV), strongly affects bone apposition when applied locally. Here, we aimed to evaluate the anabolic effects of locally applied RSV with a xenograft placed on rabbit calvaria. Two rigid occlusive titanium caps were used in 16 rabbits after decorticating the calvarial bone. In the control group, the area under the cap was filled with a xenograft, while in the RSV group, a xenograft in combination with RSV (1 mg) was used. In both groups, at 6 and 12 weeks, new bone, residual graft, soft tissue areas, and histological and radiological bone volume were evaluated. At 12 weeks, histologically, the RSV group exhibited superior new bone proportion values, and radiologically, new bone and total bone volume in the RSV group were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05); there were no significant differences at 6 weeks (p > 0.05). According to our results, RSV applied locally under a titanium barrier on an area to be repaired with bone grafts increases new bone and total bone volume.