Abstract:
We induced angiogenesis in the tibial medulla and cortex of rabbits by electrical and
mechanical stimulation, with the aim of future application to ischemic disease.
Sixteen New Zealand rabbits were divided into 4 groups: in Group 1, a K wire was inserted
into the medullary channel; in Group 2, a hole was drilled into the tibia; in Group
3, electrical stimulation was applied to the medullary channel; and in Group 4 (the control
group), nothing was done. The interventions were applied during a 21-day period,
after which all animals were evaluated scintigraphically and histopathologically.
All 3 interventional groups were significantly superior to the control group in regard
to medullary and cortical vascularity: the P values were 0.021 in all comparisons to control.
However, the most fibrotic changes in the medulla occurred in the group that had
been treated with electricity (P=0.008). Slight fibrotic changes occurred in the hole
group (P=0.040), and none occurred in the K-wire group.
In sum, all 3 interventions are capable of inducing medullary angiogenesis, but electricity
is inferior in regard to fibrotic change. We believe that this present study can establish
a baseline for further work that explores clinical applications to problematic
ischemic conditions, including delayed sternal wound healing after cardiac surgery.
