title: Effects of extremely low frequency pulsed magnetic fields on diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin-treated rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Extremely low frequency pulsed magnetic fields (ELFPMF) have been shown to induce Faraday currents and measurable effects on biological systems. A kind of very high frequency electromagnetic field was reported that it improved the symptoms of diabetic nephropathy (DN) which is a major complication of diabetes. However, few studies have examined the effects of ELFPMF DN at the present. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of ELFPMF on DN in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult male SD rats were randomly divided into three weight-matched groups: Control (non-diabetic rats without DN), DN + ELFPMF (diabetic rats with DN exposed to ELFPMF, 8 h/days, 6 weeks) and DN (diabetic rats with DN exposed to sham ELFPMF). Renal morphology was examined by light and electron microscopy, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were measured by enzyme linked immune sorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 6 weeks' ELFPMF exposure, alterations of hyperglycemia and weight loss in STZ-treated rats with DN were not found, while both positive and negative effects of ELFPMF on the development of DN in diabetic rats were observed. The positive one was that ELFPMF exposure attenuated the pathological alterations in renal structure observed in STZ-treated rats with DN, which were demonstrated by slighter glomerular and tubule-interstitial lesions examined by light microscopy and slighter damage to glomerular basement membrane and podocyte foot processes examined by electron microscopy. And then, the negative one was that ELFPMF stimulation statistically significantly decreased renal expression of VEGF-A and statistically significantly increased renal expression of CTGF in diabetic rats with DN, which might partially aggravate the symptoms of DN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both positive and negative effects of ELFPMF on the development of DN in diabetic rats were observed. The positive effect induced by ELFPMF might play a dominant role in the procession of DN in diabetic rats, and it is suggested that the positive effect should be derived from the correction of pathogenic diabetes-induced mediators.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. flyriver_lee@163.com.
authors.forename: Feijiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. leitaoxman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 103240963@qq.com.
authors.forename: Kangning
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 156537419@qq.com.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 35597251@qq.com.
authors.forename: Chi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 471714354@qq.com.
authors.forename: Maogang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. 86887562@qq.com.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. erpingluo@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Erping
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. shenguanghao2002@sina.com.
authors.forename: Guanghao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D055909:Magnetic Field Therapy; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013311:Streptozocin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; C526316:CCN2 protein, rat; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor; D013311:Streptozocin