RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the ability of lithium chloride (LiCl) to increase bone filling (BF) around threaded titanium implants inserted in estrogen-deficient rats and, thein-vitro effects of this drug on osteoblast-like cell viability, proliferation, mineralization and expression of bone-related markers. DESIGN: In vivo: Rats received sham surgery plus water (Estrogen-sufficient group), ovariectomy plus water (Estrogen-deficient group) or ovariectomy plus LiCl (150 mg/kg/every other day) (LiCl/estrogen-deficient group). On the 21st day after ovariectomy/sham surgeries, a threaded titanium implant was inserted in the rat tibia. BF and the number of TRAP + cells were assessed at 10, 20 and 30 days after implant placement. In vitro: Osteosarcoma SAOS-2 cells were exposed to 0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 mM of LiCl; cell proliferation, viability, mineralization (alizarin red staining) and gene expressions of RUNX-2, OCN, OPN, BSP and ALP (Real Time PCR) were estimated in the cultures. RESULTS: In vivo: The estrogen-sufficient and LiCl/estrogen-deficient groups demonstrated higher percentages of BF, within the limits of implant threads, than the estrogen-deficient group at 20 and 30 days (p < 0.05). The number of TRAP + cells was lower in LiCl/estrogen-deficient than in the estrogen-deficient group at all experimental times (p < 0.05). In vitro: Cell cultures exposed to LiCl (0.01 or 0.05 mM) exhibited larger areas of mineralized matrix than the non-exposed cultures (p < 0.05) and demonstrated the highest expressions of the genes investigated. CONCLUSION: LiCl treatment improved BF around threaded titanium implants inserted in estrogen-deficient rats and stimulated matrix mineralization and overexpression of bone-formation markers in osteoblastic cells in culture.