The effect of an applied electric field on macrophage accumulation within the subacute spinal injury

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Moriarty, Loren J. | Borgens, Richard B.

Affiliations: Center or Paralysis Research, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Abstract: Macrophages are implicated to play a substantive role in the acute inflammatory reaction to CNS insult in the delayed progressive secondary damage to parenchyma, espacially myelin. When placed in an electrical field in vitro, macrophages show directed pseudopodial extensions and migrate towards the positive pole (anode). We have evaluated if ED1 positive macrophage accumulations in rat spinal cord injuries were affected by the applied extracellular voltage, comparing their numbers to a sham treated group. Our hypothesis was that the applied voltage may reduce the concentration of phagocytes in the central injury and thus reduce the level of secondary damage produced by them. The applied voltage gradient did not alter the number or density of macrophage accumulations in the three week lesion, nor is there any difference in the degree of cavitation between control and experimental groups.

Keywords: spinal injury, macrophage, electric field, secondary injury, inflammatory reaction

Journal: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 53-64, 1999