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Pitavastatin may Reduce Risk of Steroid-induced Osteonecrosis in Rabbits: A Preliminary Histological Study

  • Symposium: Molecular and Surgical Advances in Osteonecrosis
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

Several animal and human studies suggest pharmacological approaches may prevent steroid-induced osteonecrosis (ON). We asked whether the newly developed 3-hydroxymethyl-3-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, pitavastatin, could prevent steroid-induced ON in rabbits. We injected 65 adult male Japanese white rabbits once with 20 mg/kg of methylprednisolone acetate into the right gluteus medius muscle. The rabbits were divided into two groups; one group of 35 rabbits received pitavastatins (PS), and the other group of 30 rabbits received no prophylaxis (CTR). Hematological examinations were performed just before the steroid injection (0 weeks) and at 1 and 2 weeks after steroid injection; both the femora and the humeri were histologically examined 2 weeks postinjection. The incidence of histologic changes consistent with early ON in the PS group (13 of 35; 37%) was lower in comparison to the CTR group (21 of 30; 70%). The size of the bone marrow fat cells in the PS group (56.6 ± 10 μm) was smaller than those in the CTR group (60 ± 4 μm). The data suggest pitavastatin has the potential to lower the incidence of steroid-induced ON in rabbits.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Naoko Kinukawa, Department of Medical Informatics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, for her help and advice on the statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan

    Kenjiro Nishida MD, Takuaki Yamamoto MD, PhD, Goro Motomura MD, PhD, Seiya Jingushi MD, PhD & Yukihide Iwamoto MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Kenjiro Nishida MD
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  2. Takuaki Yamamoto MD, PhD
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  3. Goro Motomura MD, PhD
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  4. Seiya Jingushi MD, PhD
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  5. Yukihide Iwamoto MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takuaki Yamamoto MD, PhD.

Additional information

One of more of the authors (TY) received funding from a Grant-in-Aid in Scientific Research (No.18591665) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the animal protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

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Nishida, K., Yamamoto, T., Motomura, G. et al. Pitavastatin may Reduce Risk of Steroid-induced Osteonecrosis in Rabbits: A Preliminary Histological Study. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466, 1054–1058 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0189-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0189-4

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