Homeopathic treatment for bone regeneration: experimental study

Janete Dias Almeida; Emília Angela Loschiavo Arisawa; Ivan Balducci; Rosilene Fernandes da Rocha; Yasmin Rodarte Carvalho

doi:10.1016/j.homp.2009.02.010

Homeopathy, Table of Contents

Homeopathy 2009; 98(02): 92-96
DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2009.02.010

Original Paper

Homeopathic treatment for bone regeneration: experimental study

Janete Dias Almeida

¹Department of Bioscience and Oral Diagnosis, São Paulo State University – UNESP, São José dos Campos Dental School, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

,

Emília Angela Loschiavo Arisawa

²Department of Pathology, UNIVAP, Vale do Paraíba University, Health Science Faculty, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

,

Ivan Balducci

³Department of Social Science and Pediatric Dentistry, São Paulo State University – UNESP, São José dos Campos Dental School, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

,

Rosilene Fernandes da Rocha

¹Department of Bioscience and Oral Diagnosis, São Paulo State University – UNESP, São José dos Campos Dental School, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

,

Yasmin Rodarte Carvalho

¹Department of Bioscience and Oral Diagnosis, São Paulo State University – UNESP, São José dos Campos Dental School, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

› Author Affiliations
Subject Editor:

Abstract

Aim and method: The objective of this research was to study the effect of homeopathic treatment with Plumbum metallicum (Plumbum met.) on mandibular bone repair in rats.

Materials and methods: We analyzed the mandibles of 60 male rats, approximately 3-month-old, randomly divided into three groups of 20 animals each: control, treated with calcitonin, and treated with a homeopathic medicine. A circumscribed bone defect measuring 4 mm in diameter was made in the mandible and covered with a polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) barrier. The group treated with calcitonin received 2 IU/kg intramuscularly three times a week; the group treated with Plumbum met. 30c received three drops in water every day. The animals were sacrificed after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The mandibles were removed and submitted to histologic and histomorphometric analyses.

Results: Data were analyzed statistically by two-way ANOVA and by the Tukey test. The interaction effect (ANOVA, F df(6; 48) = 4.64; p = 0.001 < 0.05) indicated that the relationship between treatments was not the same at each time of sacrifice. Although statistical analysis of the histomorphometric data showed a similar results for the treated and control groups. But histological analysis showed complete filling of the surgical defect throughout its extent was only for the group treated with Plumbum met.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that for repair of surgical defects in rat mandibles Plumbum met. 30c and control did not differ significantly in histomorphometric terms.

Keywords

Calcitonin - bone regeneration - homeopathy - Plumbum metallicum

Full Text

References

References
1 Sweeney T.M., Opperman L.A., Persing J.A., Ogle R.C. Repair of critical size rat calvarial defects using extracellular matrix protein gels. J Neurosurg 1995; 83: 710-715.
2 Husseman F., Wolff O. A imagem do homem como base da arte médica: esboço de uma medicina orientada pela Ciência Espiritual. São Paulo: Associação Beneficiente Tobias; 1992. pp. 408–414
3 Ganong W.F. Fisiologia médica. São Paulo: Atheneu; 1989. pp. 333–444
4 Begum R., Koshy R., Sengupta A. Effect of homeopathic drugs plumbum and opium on experimentally induced lead toxicity in rats. Indian J Exp Biol 1994; 32: 192-195.
5 Fisher P., House I., Belon P., Turner P. The influence of the homeopathic remedy plumbum metallicum on the excretion kinetics of lead in rats. Hum Toxicol 1987; 6: 321-324.
6 Arisawa E.A.L., Rocha R.F., Carvalho Y.R., Moraes E., Almeida J.D. Influência da calcitonin na reparação óssea de tíbias de ratas ovariectomizadas. Pós-Grad Rev Fac Odontol São José dos Campos 2000; 3: 54-59.
7 Arisawa E.A.L., Brandão A.A.H., Almeida J.D., Rocha R.F. Calcitonin in bone-guided regeneration of mandibles in ovariectomized rats: densitometric, histologic and histomorphometric analysis. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008; 37: 47-53.
8 Pereira S.L.S., Toledo S., Okamoto T., Sallum E.A., Nociti Jr. F.H. Efeito da calcitonina de salmão sobre a cicatrização de defeitos ósseos. Rev Odontol UNESP (São Paulo) 1997; 26: 471-488.
9 Reginster J.Y., Azria M., Gaspar S. et al. Endogenous production of specific antibodies does not decrease hypocalcemic response to calcitonin in young rabbits. Calcif Tissue Int 1992; 50: 518-520.
10 Ziegler R., Delling G. Effect of calcitonin on the regeneration of a circumscribed bone defect (bored hole in the rat tibia). Acta Endocrinol 1972; 69: 497-506.
11 Weiss R.E., Singer F.R., Gorn A.H., Hofer D.P., Nimni M.E. Calcitonin stimulates bone formation when administered prior to initiation of osteogenesis. J Clin Invest 1981; 68: 815-818.
12 Aires M.M. Fisiologia. 2nd edn. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan; 1999. pp. 855–876
13 Gomes M.F., Anjos M.J.S., Nogueira T.O., Tde O., Catanzaro Guimarães S.A. Autogenous demineralized dentin matrix for tissue engineering applications: radiographic and histomorphometric studies. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2002; 17: 488-497.
14 Linde A., Thoren C., Dahlin C., Sandberg E. Creation of new bone by an osteopromotive membrane technique: an experimental study in rats. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1993; 51: 892-897.
15 Linde A., Alberius P., Dahlin C., Bjurstam K., Sundin Y. Osteopromotion: a soft-tissue exclusion principle using a membrane for bone healing and bone neogenesis. J Periodontol 1993; 64: 1116-1128.
16 Pecora G., Andreana S., Margarone 3rd J.E., Covanl U., Sottosanti J. Bone regeneration with a calcium sulfate barrier. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 1997; 84: 424-429.
17 Szachowicz E.H. Facial bone wound healing. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 1995; 28: 865-881.
18 Almeida J.D., Carvalho Y.R., Rocha R.F., Arisawa E.A.L. Estudo da reparação óssea em mandíbula de ratos. Pós-Grad Rev Fac Odontol São José dos Campos 2000; 3: 49-53.
19 Almeida J.D., Arisawa E.A.L., Lima A.P. et al. Effect of calcitonin on bone regeneration in male rats: a histomorphometric analysis. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2007; 36: 435-440.
20 Almeida J.D., Arisawa E.A.L., Lima A.P., Rocha R.F., Carvalho Y.R. Estudo do efeito do Plumbum mettalicum 30CH na reparação óssea em mandíbula de ratos sem barreira mecânica. Cienc Odontol Bras 2006; 9: 69-76.
21 Dahlin C., Linde A., Gottlow J., Nyman S. Healing of bone defects by guided tissue regeneration. Plast Reconstr Surg 1988; 81: 672-676.
22 Dahlin C., Sandberg E., Alberius P., Linde A. Restoration of mandibular nonunion bone defects. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1994; 23: 237-242.
23 Sandberg E., Dahlin C., Linde A. Bone regeneration by the osteopromotion technique using bioabsorbable membranes: an experimental study in rats. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1993; 51: 1106-1114.
24 Raubenheimer EJ. Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of metabolic bone diseases. In: International Congress of the International Association of Oral Pathology, 2000, pp. 1–14.
25 Badurski J.E., Schwamm W., Popko J., Zimnoch L., Rogowski F., Pawlica J. Chondroprotective action of salmon calcitonin treatment in experimental arthropathies. Calcif Tissue Int 1991; 49: 27-34.
26 Farley J.R., Tarbaux N.M., Linkhart T.A., Baylink D.J. The anti-bone-resorptive agent calcitonin also acts in vitro to directly increase bone formation and bone cell proliferation. Endocrinology 1988; 123: 159-167.