Indomethacin inhibition of ossification induced by direct current stimulation

In this study, we sought to clarify the mechanism of ossification induced by direct current stimulation by analyzing changes in local blood flow and vascular permeability and by examining the involvement of chemical mediators. Changes in blood flow were studied with laser Doppler flowmetry, and vascular permeability was determined by microquantification. To examine the involvement of chemical mediators, we determined the effect on vascular permeability of histamine H1 and H2-receptor blockers and indomethacin. In addition, direct current stimulation was performed during administration of indomethacin to determine whether indomethacin inhibits electrically induced callus formation. Local blood flow remained unchanged in the control group and in the group receiving 5 microA of stimulation, but it increased in the groups receiving 10 and 50 microA. Vascular permeability increased in the 5 and 10 microA stimulation groups. This increase was not suppressed by histamine-receptor blockers, but it was suppressed by indomethacin. Two weeks of electrical stimulation without concomitant indomethacin treatment resulted in active callus formation around the needle electrode and in the vicinity of the endosteum; however, direct current stimulation during administration of indomethacin inhibited callus formation. The results suggest that these changes serve as microenvironmental factors that play an important role in the promotion of ossification and that a prostaglandin-mediated mechanism is involved in the promotion of ossification by direct current stimulation.