Author/Editor		Ribarič, Samo; Stefanovska, Aneta; Eržen, Ida
Title		Direct-current stimulation of crushed nerve increases capillary density in rat muscle
Type		članek
Source		Electro Magnetobiol
Vol. and No.		Letnik 17, št. 2
Publication year		1998
Volume		str. 241-54
Language		eng
Abstract		We studied the effect of direct-current (DC) stimulation of the crushed sciatic nerve on capillary density and fiber diameter in the rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. The cathode was placed distal to the site of axonotmesis of the left sciatic nerve, and the current was applied continuously for 35 days. Right legs were left intact and served as controls. The animals were assigned at random to one of the following groups: (2) a cath-ode-stimulated (CA) group; (2) a sham-operated (SH) group in wich a stimulator gave no measurable current; and (3) an axonotmesis-only group, without a stimulator (AX). Only the CA group had a significantly reduced muscle-fiber diameter (p < .01) and a significantly increased capillary-to-muscle fiber ratio (p < .03) as compared with the control site. A denser capillary network, in the EDL muscles of CA-stimulated animals, could promote a more efficient delivery of oxygen and contribute to reduction in the overall time of muscle-force recovery after nerve crush, which we reported previously.
Descriptors		NERVE CRUSH SCIATIC NERVE MUSCLE DENERVATION ELECTRIC STIMULATION THERAPY MUSCLE, SKELETAL RATS MYOSIN HEAVY CHAINS