Annals of biomedical engineering
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Osteoporotic fracture has become a major public health problem, and until today, the treatments available are not satisfactory. While there is growing evidence to support the individual treatment of parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) exposure as respectively systemic and local therapies during osteoporotic fracture healing, their effects have not yet been investigated when introduced concurrently. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combined treatment with PTH (1-34) and LIPUS on fracture healing in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. ⋯ Radiography, fracture healing score and mean callus area indicated that the combined group revealed better healing processes than the individual groups. Mechanically, bending moment to failure was significantly higher in LIPUS, PTH and combined groups than in control group. These data suggest that the combined treatment of PTH and LIPUS have been shown to accelerate fracture bone healing and enhance bone properties rather than single agent therapy, and may be considered as a treatment remedy for fracture healing in postmenopausal osteoporosis.