4.9. Implant Surgery

Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with 1%–2% isoflurane inhalation. After their legs were shaved and scrubbed with 10% povidone-iodine solution, the distal aspects of the femurs were carefully exposed via skin incision and muscle dissection. The flat surfaces of the distal femurs were selected for implant placement. The implant site was prepared 9 mm from the distal edge of the femur by drilling with a 0.8 mm round burr and enlarged using reamers (#ISO 090 and 100). Profuse irrigation with sterile isotonic saline solution was used for cooling and cleaning. One titanium cylindrical implant, acid-etched at different temperatures (1 mm in diameter and 2 mm in length), was placed into the prepared hole. Surgical sites were then closed in layers. Muscle and skin were sutured separately with resorbable suture thread. The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee approved this protocol (ARC #2005-175-41E, approved on 30 January 2018) and all experimentation was performed in accordance with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines on animal research.