Bone Formation With the Combination of Simvastatin and Calcium Sulfate in Critical-Sized Rat Calvarial Defect

• Main Authors: Myat Nyan, Daisuke Sato, Mitsumasa Oda, Tetsu Machida, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takahiro Nakamura, Shohei Kasugai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2007-01-01
• Series: Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1347861319342379
• ISSN: 1347-8613

Simvastatin, a cholesterol synthesis inhibitor, enhances BMP2 expression in osteoblasts. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether simvastatin stimulates bone regeneration when combined with calcium sulfate as a carrier. Critical-sized bone defects in rat calvaria were treated with calcium sulfate or with combination of 1 mg simvastatin and calcium sulfate. In the combination group, although the least amount of bone formation with intense soft tissue inflammation was observed at 2 and 4 weeks, remarkable bone formation was evident at 8 weeks. Conclusively, the combination of simvastatin and calcium sulfate stimulated bone regeneration in spite of the inflammatory response. Keywords:: simvastatin, calcium sulfate, bone formation