Effect of antiangiogenic targeted chemotherapy on the osseointegration of titanium implants in rabbits

Patients with cancer have recently been treated with more advanced targeted chemotherapies that have greater specificity towards the cancer cells and fewer side effects. However, the periods of treatment take longer than those of traditional cytotoxic treatments. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of antiangiogenic targeted chemotherapy on the osseointegration of titanium implants. Fourteen white New Zealand rabbits were allocated randomly into two groups of seven: the placebo control group and the Avastin^® group. Animals in the Avastin^® group had five doses of bevacizumab intraperitoneally (3 mg/kg/week). The first was given two days before the implant was inserted and the remaining four were given weekly for four weeks. One titanium implant was inserted in the right distal femoral condyle of each rabbit. Osseointegration of the implants was measured using microcomputed tomography (CT) and histomorphometric evaluation. Both of these showed less osseointegration in the Avastin^® group than in the controls. The pharmacological inhibition of angiogenesis by bevacizumab may negatively affect the osseointegration of titanium implants in rabbits.