Effect of extremely low frequency magnetic field in prevention of spinal cord injury-induced osteoporosis

1
Effect of extremely low frequency magnetic field
in prevention of spinal cord injury-induced
osteoporosis

• Jayanand Manjhi, PhD Suneel Kumar, MSc
  Jitendra Behari, PhD Rashmi Mathur, PhD

2

• Aim
• Investigate effect of extremely low frequency
  (ELF) magnetic field (MF) on spinal cord injury
  (SCI)-induced osteoporosis in rats.
• Relevance
• SCI-induced osteoporosis is most rapid and severe
  form of osteoporosis.
• Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy is reported
  to promote peripheral nerve regeneration,
  osteogenesis, and SCI recovery.

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Method

• Adult Wistar rats were equally divided into 3
  groups
• SCI and SCIMF complete spinal cord transection.
• Sham laminectomy only.
• 1 d post-SCI exposed to ELF-MF or sham exposed.
• Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score was
  recorded weekly.
• All rats were sacrificed 8 wk post-SCI
• Tibias and femurs were isolated for bone mineral
  content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and
  biochemical status analyses.

4
Results

• BBB score decreased post-SCI, which partially
  recovered after ELF-MF.
• SCI rats (vs sham)
• Statistically significant decrease in BMC,
  calcium, phosphorus, carbon, BMD, and biochemical
  level, which attenuated in SCIMF rats except
  carbon content.
• Electron microscopic study revealed enhanced
  microstructural composition and compactness in
  cortical and trabecular parts of treated bones.

5
Example of spinal cord 8 wk post-SCI in SCI and
SCIMF rats. Note areas of continuity in spinal
cord and smaller cavities vis-à-vis degeneration
of neurons (arrow mark) in SCIMF vs SCI group.
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Conclusion

• Results suggest that chronic ELF-MF exposure to
  SCI rats effectively attenuates SCI-induced
  osteoporosis.