Pulsed magnetic fields improve osteoblast activity during the repair of an experimental osseous defect.
Abstract: The influence of pulsed low-frequency electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on bone formation was investigated in studies of the healing process of transcortical holes, bored at the diaphyseal region of metacarpal bones of six adult horses, exposed for 30 days to PEMFs (28 G peak amplitude, 1.3 ms rise time, and 75 Hz repetition rate). A pair of Helmholtz coils, continuously powered by a pulse generator, was applied for 30 days to the left metacarpal bone, through which two holes, of equal diameter and depth, had been bored at the diaphyseal region. Two equal holes, bored at the same level in the right metacarpal and surrounded by an inactive pair of Helmholtz coils, were used as controls. All horses were given an intravenous injection of 25-30 mg/kg of tetracycline chloride on the 15th and again on the 25th day after the operation and were killed 5 days later. The histomorphometric analysis indicated that both the amount of bone formed during 30 days and the mineral apposition rate during 10 days (deduced from the interval between the two tetracycline labels) were significantly greater (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001, respectively) in the PEMF-treated holes than in the controls. As did a previous investigation, these preliminary findings indicate that PEMFs at low frequency not only stimulate bone repair but also seem to improve the osteogenic phase of the healing process, at least in our experimental conditions.
Publication Date: 1993-09-01 PubMed ID: 8410466DOI: 10.1002/jor.1100110508Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study conducted an experiment on horses to investigate the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on the process of healing bone defects. The findings suggest that these fields can enhance bone repair and stimulate osteoblast activity, which is involved in bone formation.
Study Design
- The researchers created a pair of identical holes in the metacarpal bones (in the main body of the bone shaft) of six adult horses. This procedure provided the experimental bone defects.
- One of the pairs of holes, located in the left metacarpal bone, was treated with PEMFs for 30 days. A pair of Helmholtz coils (a device for creating a uniform magnetic field) connected to a pulse generator were used to produce and expose the bone defects to these fields. The electromagnetic fields used had a peak amplitude of 28 G (a measure of intensity) and a repetition rate of 75 Hz.
- The other pair of holes, bored in the right metacarpal bone and surrounded by a non-active pair of Helmholtz coils, served as the control group. This means that they underwent the same process but were not exposed to the PEMFs.
- Throughout the experiment, all the horses received intravenous injections of tetracycline (a type of antibiotic) twice – once on the 15th day, and again on the 25th day after the operation. The role of the tetracycline was to act as a fluorescent marker in the bone tissue, enabling the researchers to monitor the process of bone formation more straightforwardly.
Results
- Following the experimental period of 30 days, the horses were euthanized, and histomorphometric analysis performed on the bone defects. Histomorphometry is the microscopic examination and measurement of the structure and form of bone tissues.
- The results indicated that the amount of bone formed after 30 days and the mineral apposition rate — the speed at which new mineralized bone tissue is created — over a 10 day period were both significantly higher in the defects treated with PEMFs compared to the control group.
- The difference in both these measurements between the treatment and control groups was statistically significant, with p-values lower than 0.01 and 0.0001, respectively. This p-value represents the probability that the researchers would observe such a difference due to pure chance. The lower the p-value, the stronger the evidence against the null hypothesis, which in this context would be that PEMFs have no effect on bone healing.
Conclusions
- This study’s preliminary findings suggest that low-frequency PEMFs could enhance bone repair and influence osteoblast activity positively. Osteoblasts are specialized cells that synthesize bone tissues.
- The authors, however, emphasize that further research is required to confirm and expand upon these results, as these findings are based on experimental conditions and may not fully apply to clinical or real-world settings.
Cite This Article
APA
Canè V, Botti P, Soana S.
(1993).
Pulsed magnetic fields improve osteoblast activity during the repair of an experimental osseous defect.
J Orthop Res, 11(5), 664-670.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.1100110508 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institutes of Human Anatomy, University of Modena, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging
- Bone and Bones / injuries
- Bone and Bones / physiopathology
- Electromagnetic Fields
- Fracture Healing / physiology
- Horses
- Male
- Metacarpus / diagnostic imaging
- Metacarpus / injuries
- Metacarpus / physiopathology
- Osteogenesis / physiology
- Radiography
Citations
This article has been cited 19 times.- Wang T, Liang Z, Wang C, Chen J, Ma Y, Chen S, Zhou D, Hong Z. Pulsed electromagnetic fields mediate sensory nerve regulation for bone formation in aging models. Nat Commun 2025 Sep 29;16(1):8223.
- Friscia M, Abbate V, De Fazio GR, Sani L, Spinelli R, Troise S, Bonavolontà P, Committeri U, Califano L, Orabona GD. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) as a valid tool in orthognathic surgery to reduce post-operative pain and swelling: a prospective study. Oral Maxillofac Surg 2024 Sep;28(3):1287-1294.
- De Francesco F, Gravina P, Varagona S, Setti S, Gigante A, Riccio M. Biophysical Stimulation in Delayed Fracture Healing of Hand Phalanx: A Radiographic Evaluation. Biomedicines 2022 Oct 9;10(10).
- Di Bartolomeo M, Cavani F, Pellacani A, Grande A, Salvatori R, Chiarini L, Nocini R, Anesi A. Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field (PEMF) Effect on Bone Healing in Animal Models: A Review of Its Efficacy Related to Different Type of Damage. Biology (Basel) 2022 Mar 5;11(3).
- Li Y, Yang Y, Wang M, Zhang X, Bai S, Lu X, Li Y, Waldorff EI, Zhang N, Lee WY, Li G. High slew rate pulsed electromagnetic field enhances bone consolidation and shortens daily treatment duration in distraction osteogenesis. Bone Joint Res 2021 Dec;10(12):767-779.
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