Zoledronate reduces unwanted bone resorption in intercalary bone allografts

Bone allografts are often hampered by graft incorporation and poor host bone formation. Bisphosphonates, synthetic pyrophosphate analogs, have shown promise in inhibiting bone resorption in human and animal trials. Some in vitro studies have suggested that high dose bisphosphonate may also inhibit bone formation, leading to our hypothesis that an ideal dose of bisphosphonate in allografts could protect allografts from resorption. We transplanted intercalary allografts in to the segmental defect of the rat femurs after soaking each allograft in zoledronate solution (30 μM) and then analysed bone density of the allografts six to 12 weeks after transplantation. At six and 12 weeks, the bone mineral density was higher in the experimental group compared with the control group. Qualitative radiographic and histological analysis also revealed more allograft resorption in the control group than in the zoledronate-treated group. Our data indicate that pharmacological modification of intercalary allografts with zoledronate solution can decrease osteoclast-mediated allograft resorption.