Effects of Morphine Dependency on Bone Healing in Rat

Bone fractures usually happen during car accident and sport trauma. Different factors influence bone healing such as malnutrition and smoking. Apart from addiction which is an important individual, social, and cultural problems morphine has several effects on body physiology and immune system .This study is performed to assess the effect of morphine dependency on bone healing and has not been reported in the literature till now. 56 rats were divided into two 28-rat groups and were kept under equal laboratory conditions, Rats of the control group were not addicted. By adding morphine powder to the water of the other group for 21 days, they got addicted and were used as case group. Following intraperitoneal naloxane injection and confirming addiction in addicted group a hole was made in tibia of both groups. Biopsies were taken on the 3rd, 6th, 10th & 20th day from 7 addicted and 7 non-addicted rats. Then the results of microscopic examination were statistically analyzed with Mann-Whitney test. The difference between neutrophilic exudates (P=0.002) & granulation tissue (P=0.003) on the 3rd day, percent of neutrophilic exudates (P=0.01) & immature bone (P=0.004) on the 6th day, the percent of immature (P=0.001) & mature bone (P=0.02) on the 10th day & mesenchymal tissue (P=0.02) on the 20th day was significant. It was concluded that bone healing was delayed in the addicted group.