Changes in bone histology due to capacitive electric field stimulation of ovariectomized rat

Postmenopausal osteoporosis leads to a significant decline in bone mass. That complicates the treatment outcome. The objective of the present study was to find out the effects of pulsed modulated low level electric field capacitively coupled on bone histology of induced osteoporotic rats, for screening the potential therapy for osteoporosis.

Osteopororosis was induced by performed by bilateral ovariectomy of female Wistar rats. After one month of surgery electric field stimulation was delivered to one leg of experimatal rats while the other was sham exposed. After 60 days of exposure treated rats were sacrificed and femur and tibia bones were segregated into (i) control (CON), (ii) ovariectomized (OVX) and (iii) ovariectomized + electrical stimulation (OVX+ES).

Histopathological analyses showed that capacitively coupled pulsed electric field exposure treatment augmented and restored the bone marrow cell population. Immunohistological localization of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) showed the increased activity of this enzyme after electrostimulation, which showed an enhanced osteoblast differentiation. Collagen histochemistry showed high amount of collagen fiber in exposed rats bones than that of osteoporotic bones. Electron microscopic study revealed the enhancement of microstructural composition and compactness in cortical and trabecular part of treated bones.

Our results suggest that capacitively coupled pulsed electric field exposure treatment of specified parameters is efficacious in attenuating the effects of ovariectomy induced osteoporosis and restore the bone loss.