Effects of Salmon Calcitonin on Mechanical Properties of Healing and Intact Bone and Skin in Rats

Abstract

Mechanical properties of healing femoral fractures, intact femora, healing skin wounds and intact skin, have been studied in young male rats during treatment with salmon calcitonin (CT) (3 MCR-U/kg body weight/day). Serum ionized calcium was reduced after each CT injection, and served as a control of the biological activity of the administered hormone. CT did not influence mechanical properties of healing fractures, intact bones or skin wounds. Neither did it change bone growth or body weight of the treated rats. In contrast, injections of the hormone impaired mechanical properties of intact skin Thus, the tensile strength and the ultimate elongation of skin specimens from CT treated rats were reduced by about 20 and 10 per cent respectively compared to controls after 30 days of treatment. The results of the present study do not support the use of salmon CT in the treatment of fractures.