title: EMF acts on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to promote differentiation to osteoblasts and to inhibit differentiation to adipocytes.
abstract: The use of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to treat nonunion fractures developed from observations in the mid-1900s. Whether EMF directly regulates the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), differentiating into osteoblasts or adipocytes, remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the roles of sinusoidal EMF of 15 Hz, 1 mT in differentiation along these separate lineages using rat bone marrow MSCs. Our results showed that EMF promoted osteogenic differentiation of the stem cells and concurrently inhibited adipocyte formation. EMF increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralized nodule formation, and stimulated osteoblast-specific mRNA expression of RUNX2, ALP, BMP2, DLX5, and BSP. In contrast, EMF decreased adipogenesis and inhibited adipocyte-specific mRNA expression of adipsin, AP-2, and PPARgamma2, and also inhibited protein expression of PPARgamma2. These observations suggest that commitment of MSCs into osteogenic or adipogenic lineages is influenced by EMF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital, Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chaoxiong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Dongming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenchun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology; D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000528:radiation effects; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology*; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D047495:PPAR gamma; D012333:RNA, Messenger