title: Effects of pulsed and sinusoid electromagnetic fields on human chondrocytes cultivated in a collagen matrix.
abstract: Although several effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on articular cartilage have been reported in recent studies, the use of EMFs to treat osteoarthritis remains a matter of debate. In an in vitro study, human chondrocytes harvested from osteoarthritic knee joints were released from their surrounding matrix and transferred in defined concentration into a 3D matrix (type-I collagen gel). The cultivation, performed under standard conditions, lasted up to 14 days. During this time, treatment groups were continuously exposed to either sinusoid or pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs). The PEMFs revealed the following characteristics: maximum magnetic flux density of 2 mT, frequency of the bursts of 16.7 Hz with each burst consisting of 20 pulses. Similarly, the sinusoid EMFs also induced a maximum flux density of 2 mT with a frequency of 50 Hz. Control groups consisting of equal number of samples were not exposed to EMF. Immunohistological examinations of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples revealed positive staining for type-II collagen and proteoglycans in the immediate pericellular region with no differences between the two different treatment groups and the control groups. With increasing cultivation time, both type-II collagen and aggrecan gene expression declined, but no significant differences in gene expression were found between the treatment and control groups. In conclusion, using our in vitro setting, we were unable to detect any effects of pulsed and sinusoidal magnetic fields on human adult osteoarthritic chondrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma Surgery, Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany. bernhard.schmidt@post.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Rohlfing
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silny
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gavenis
mesh_terms: D053674:Aggrecans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D024042:Collagen Type I; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053674:Aggrecans; D024042:Collagen Type I; D024043:Collagen Type II; D003470:Culture Media; D012333:RNA, Messenger