Abatement of fracture-related
pain is important in patient welfare. However, the frequently used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are considered to impair fracture healing through blockade of
cyclooxygenase-2. An alternative for fracture-related
pain treatment may be blockade of
nerve growth factor (
NGF)/
neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 1 (TrkA) signaling. Because the effect of blocking this signal-pathway on bone healing has not been extensively investigated, we addressed this issue by applying
neutralizing antibodies that target
NGF and TrkA, respectively, in a mouse fracture model. Mice with a knock-in for human TrkA underwent femur
osteotomy and were randomly allocated to
phosphate-buffered-saline, anti-
NGF-antibody, or anti-TrkA-antibody treatment. The
analgesic effect of the
antibodies was determined from the activity and the ground reaction force of the operated limb. The effect of antibody administration on fracture healing was assessed by histomorphometry, micro-computed tomography, and biomechanics.
NGF/TrkA-signaling blockade had no negative effect on fracture healing as callus formation and maturation were not altered. Mice treated with anti-TrkA antibody displayed significantly greater activity on post-operative day 2 compared to PBS treatment indicating effective
analgesia. Our data indicate, that blockade of
NGF/TrkA signaling via specific
neutralizing antibodies for
pain reduction during fracture healing does not influence fracture healing.