Abstract

The influence of osteoporosis on fracture healing is a complex phenomenon. Oxidative stress is considered as a pathogenic factor for bone loss and delayed fracture healing. Piper sarmentosum is known to possess an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to investigate the fracture healing properties of P. sarmentosum aqueous extract in ovariectomised rats by observing changes in the biomechanical properties of femora. Forty female Sprague-Dawley rats (200 to 250 g) assigned into 4 groups: Sham-operated; ovariectomised-control; ovariectomised + conjugated equine oestrogen, 100 µg/kg/day, and ovariectomised + P. sarmentosum extract, 125 mg/kg/day. All the rats underwent mid-diaphyseal closed fracture of the right femur with K-wire fixation 6 weeks post-ovariectomy. Following the fracture, all the rats received the aforementioned treatment orally for 6 weeks. Biomechanical analysis revealed that, the flexure load, flexure stress and Young’s modulus for the P. sarmentosum-treated group increased significantly compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, the flexure strain was consistent among all the groups (P>0.05). The biomechanical strength parameters in the sham, oestrogen and P. sarmentosum groups were identical (P>0.05). In conclusion, effective supplementation of P. sarmentosum extract restored the biomechanical property of the healed bone. Hence, it may be beneficial for fracture healing in the oestrogen deficient state.

Key words: Antioxidant, biomechanics, fractures healing, osteoporosis, Piper sarmentosum.