Because of the increasing number of ligament
sprains being treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (
NSAIDs), this study was undertaken to document the effects of one such
drug on ligament healing in an experimental setting. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 400 and 500 g were used to evaluate the effect of the
NSAID piroxicam on the healing of an experimental injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL). The following factors were varied in the experiments: dosage, days of treatment, and the day postinjury when treatment was begun.
Piroxicam-treated rats were compared to placebo-treated rats in terms of the
drug's effect on the mechanical strength of the healing ligament. The ligaments were mechanically tested in tension to failure at a constant deformation rate of 0.25 mm/sec on a materials testing machine. Administration of
piroxicam on Days 1 to 6 postinjury resulted in a 42% increase in strength at Day 14 postinjury for the
piroxicam-treated ligaments (P less than 0.01) when compared with the placebo-treated controls. Neither doubling nor halving the standard
piroxicam dose significantly altered this increased healing strength. Biochemical analysis of
collagen synthesis demonstrated a suggestive, although not statistically significant, increase in
collagen synthesis and
collagen content in the
piroxicam-treated healing ligament. In separate experiments,
piroxicam had no effect on the healed ligament at 21 days or on the strength of uninjured ligaments. In conclusion,
piroxicam increased the early strength of healing ligaments in the rat when the
drug was administered for short periods of time after injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)