Effects Of Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field On The Physiological Functions Of Osteoblastic Cells

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are widely used in modern medicine to heal non-unions of bone fracture and treat some bone-related diseases. Nonetheless, the specific molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In current, the application of EMF doses on treatment is largely dependent on clinical experiences, which lacks academic supports. Thus two aspects, theoretical and empirical researches, have been emphasized in this field for almost half a century. However, still there were controversies of electromagnetic effects within the scientific community. In this work, we studied the effects of electromagnetic fields on intracellular calcium and cell membrane potential from the perspective of both theoretical and experimental works. Osteoblastic cells were used as a model both to test the hypothesis that extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields can alter the concentrations of the intracellular calcium and levels of membrane potential, and to examine the'window'effect predicted by the theoretical work. This work is valuable in two aspects. For one thing, it proves for the first time that ELF magnetic fields can induce the uptake of intracellular calcium levels in osteoblasts, which will contribute to the exploration of the molecular mechanisms of EMF effects on bone cells. For another, it provides an example for finding the quantitative map of EMF effects, which has a great reference value for clinical applications of EMF.