Extremely low frequency magnetic field protects injured spinal cord from the microglia- and iron-induced tissue damage.

Extremely low frequency magnetic field protects injured spinal cord from the microglia- and iron-induced tissue damage. Electromagn Biol Med. 2017 Nov 15;:1-11 Authors: Dey S, Bose S, Kumar S, Rathore R, Mathur R, Jain S Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) is insult to the spinal cord, which results in loss of sensory and motor function below the level of injury. SCI results in both immediate mechanical damage and secondary tissue degeneration. Following traumatic insult, activated microglia release proinflammatory cytokines and excess iron due to hemorrhage, initiating oxidative stress that contributes to secondary degeneration. Literature suggests that benefits are visible with the reduction in concentration of iron and activated microglia in SCI. Magnetic field attenuates oxidative stress and promotes axonal regeneration in vitro and in vivo. The present study demonstrates the potential of extremely low frequency magnetic field to attenuate microglia- and iron-induced secondary injury in SCI rats. Complete transection of the spinal cord (T13 level) was performed in male Wistar rats and subsequently exposed to magnetic field (50 Hz,17.96 µT) for 2 h daily for 8 weeks. At the end of the study period, spinal cords were dissected to quantify microglia, macrophage, iron content and study the architecture of lesion site. A significant improvement in locomotion was observed in rats of the SCI + MF group as compared to those in the SCI gr...
Source: Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine - Category: Physics Tags: Electromagn Biol Med Source Type: research