The legacy effects of electromagnetic fields on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell self-renewal and multiple differentiation potential.

Stem cell research & therapy · 2018 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 5519

EMF pretreatment increased rat BMSC proliferation and enhanced osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation while weakening adipogenic differentiation over time. EMF-pretreated BMSC sheets promoted better healing in a rat tibia fracture nonunion model than BMS…

Study snapshot

PublicationStem cell research & therapy · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on bone nonunion have been reported for many years. Many studies and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that EMF exhibited benefits in curing delayed union and nonunion of long bone fractures. Most of them focused on the immediate effects, while the legacy effects of EMF remain poorly investigated. METHODS: In this study, rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were treated with EMF, and after a period of time the BMSC proliferation and differentiation were detected. Additionally, BMSC sheets with or without EMF treatment were transplanted into the rat tibia fracture nonunion models. The bone formation was evaluated after 2, 4, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: Our results showed that the proliferation capacity of BMSCs was heightened after EMF pretreatment. Over a period of time of EMF pretreatment, the capacities of osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation were enhanced, while adipogenic differentiation was weakened. BMSC sheets pretreated with EMF could better promote the healing of tibia fracture in rats, compared to BMSC sheets alone. Furthermore, significantly higher values of radiographic grading scores were observed in the EMF group. CONCLUSIONS: EMF has lasting effects on the proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs, and together with cell sheet technology can provide a new method for the treatment of fracture nonunion.

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionbenefit

PopulationRat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and rat tibia fracture nonunion model

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureNot supplied

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

BMSC proliferation capacity after EMF pretreatment
Osteogenic differentiation capacity
Chondrogenic differentiation capacity
Adipogenic differentiation capacity
Tibia fracture nonunion healing with transplanted BMSC sheets
Radiographic grading scores at 2, 4, and 6 weeks

Limitations

EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity, waveform, duration) are not provided in the abstract.
Sample size and randomization/blinding details are not reported in the abstract.
Findings are from rat cells/animal models; human applicability is not addressed in the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and rat tibia fracture nonunion model",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "BMSC proliferation capacity after EMF pretreatment",
    "Osteogenic differentiation capacity",
    "Chondrogenic differentiation capacity",
    "Adipogenic differentiation capacity",
    "Tibia fracture nonunion healing with transplanted BMSC sheets",
    "Radiographic grading scores at 2, 4, and 6 weeks"
  ],
  "main_findings": "EMF pretreatment increased rat BMSC proliferation and enhanced osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation while weakening adipogenic differentiation over time. EMF-pretreated BMSC sheets promoted better healing in a rat tibia fracture nonunion model than BMSC sheets alone, with higher radiographic grading scores in the EMF group.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "EMF exposure parameters (e.g., frequency, intensity, waveform, duration) are not provided in the abstract.",
    "Sample size and randomization/blinding details are not reported in the abstract.",
    "Findings are from rat cells/animal models; human applicability is not addressed in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "EMF",
    "bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells",
    "BMSCs",
    "self-renewal",
    "proliferation",
    "osteogenic differentiation",
    "chondrogenic differentiation",
    "adipogenic differentiation",
    "cell sheet",
    "tibia fracture",
    "nonunion",
    "rat model"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study uses rat BMSCs and a rat tibia fracture nonunion model to assess EMF pretreatment effects."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1186/s13287-018-0955-5
PubMed: 30092831

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