Injury
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Effects of social stress and fluoxetine treatment on fracture healing in a rat femur fracture model.
Mental stress and depressive disorders have negative effect on bone biology and increase fracture risk. Fluoxetine is a widely used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the treatment of these disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effects of social stress and fluoxetine treatment on fracture healing. ⋯ The positive and negative effects of fluoxetine, which is used in the treatment of depressive disorders, on wound, tendon, or bone healing have been shown in the literature. In this study, we showed the negative effects of depression on the early stages of fracture healing. Although fluoxetine had no detrimental effect on fracture healing in non-depressive rats, impaired fracture healing was reversed and better radiological and histological findings were obtained in depressive rats treated with fluoxetine. Our findings indicate that fluoxetine, which minimizes the negative effects of social stress on bone healing, can be used safely in the treatment of depressive disorders in patients with fractures.