TREATMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL INFLAMMATORY SYNOVITIS WITH CONTINUOUS MAGNETIC-FIELD

The effect of a magnetic field on synovitis in rats was studied. Synov itis was induced by bilateral intraarticular injection of zymosan to t he hind joints. One group of rats was held in a cage with a magnet of 3,800 Gauss on the bottom of the cage (treated), while another group w as held in a cage without a magnet (control). Three weeks following in traarticular zymosan injection all rats were killed and the hind joint s tissues were examined histologically. The pathologic process was not ed and graded according to the involvement of various tissue component s, number of inflammatory foci, and size of the lesion. The histologic findings of the tissues from the control group consisted of marked ar ticular infiltrate, composed of lymphocytes and plasma cells with some histocytes in 80% of the animals. A small articular infiltration of t he same nature was observed in 20% of the treated rats. The inflammato ry score was 3.4+/-1.1 in the treated animals and 6.8+/-2.6 in the con trol group (P = 0.002). These data showed that synovitis and the infla mmatory process are significantly suppressed by a magnetic field.