Therapeutic Effects of Forced Running on Osseointegration in Rats With Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Poor osseointegration in diabetes is a significant challenge faced by dental implants; existing strategies are still limited in their effectiveness to fully promote osseointegration. Physical exercise is an important treatment for diabetes and has shown its effect in improving the skeletal condition of patients with diabetes. Yet it remains unclear whether physical exercise has an effect on long-term implant retention of diabetes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the effect of exercise on implant osseointegration in diabetic rats and to provide proof-of-concept evidence that nonpharmacological intervention may improve long-term survival rates of dental implants in diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Type 2 diabetes was induced in a subset of rats via a high-sucrose and high-fat diet followed by a low-dose streptozotocin injection. Some of these rats were forced running for 40 minutes/d. Diabetes-related parameters were measured in groups of healthy rats (NC), diabetes rats (DM), and running diabetes rats (DM + EX). Titanium implants were implanted in proximal tibia of some rats, and the osseointegration was compared in the 3 groups. RESULTS: A running-diabetes-rat model was successfully established, where effect of running significantly effect of running significantly reduced the high blood levels of triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein, but did not improve hyperglycaemia or insulin resistance. In addition, osseointegration of the metal implants was substantially improved upon running. CONCLUSION: A simple running device for rats can be used to study effect of physical exercise on diabetes-related deficits. Intensive physical exercise may substantially improve health condition of diabetes patients and reduce the failure rate of implant for diabetes.