Osteogenic response to low electric current and silver electrodes

Abstract

Abstract It has been shown that weak anodic currents are bactericidal when delivered by silver electrodes. In this study, the Osteogenic effect of weak cathodic currents and silver electrodes was studied in 20 adult rabbits. A 12 mm silver wire electrode with diameter 0.2 mm was inserted into the medullary canal of the left tibia and connected to the negative pole of constant current generators implanted subcutaneously in the backs of the animals. The generators were set to deliver 1.5 and 10 μA. For comparison, a 12 mm silver wire was inserted into the medullary canal of the right tibia. This wire was not connected to the power pack. After 21 days the animals were sacrificed and I In‐lower limbs fixed with 10% neutral buffered formalin via aortic perfusion. The tibiae with the electrodes in place were excised and X‐rayed to document the location of the electrode and 2.5 mm‐thick transverse slices were cut from this part of the tibiae. They were demineralized, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 6 μm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The sections were examined for bone growth in the medullary canals using a Zeiss Universal microscope and a MOP‐3 computerized area integrator. Bone growth was recorded as percentage of the total cross medullary canal area. New bone was observed at the experimental sites as well as in some of the controls. The largest amount of bone had formed in the experiments with a current level of 10 μA.