title: Pulsed electromagnetic fields promote osteogenesis and osseointegration of porous titanium implants in bone defect repair through a Wnt/β-catenin signaling-associated mechanism.
abstract: Treatment of osseous defects remains a formidable clinical challenge. Porous titanium alloys (pTi) have been emerging as ideal endosseous implants due to the excellent biocompatibility and structural properties, whereas inadequate osseointegration poses risks for unreliable long-term implant stability. Substantial evidence indicates that pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF), as a safe noninvasive method, inhibit osteopenia/osteoporosis experimentally and clinically. We herein investigated the efficiency and potential mechanisms of PEMF on osteogenesis and osseointegration of pTi in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that PEMF enhanced cellular attachment and proliferation, and induced well-organized cytoskeleton for in vitro osteoblasts seeded in pTi. PEMF promoted gene expressions in Runx2, OSX, COL-1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. PEMF-stimulated group exhibited higher Runx2, Wnt1, Lrp6 and β-catenin protein expressions. In vivo results via μCT and histomorphometry show that 6-week and 12-week PEMF promoted osteogenesis, bone ingrowth and bone formation rate of pTi in rabbit femoral bone defect. PEMF promoted femoral gene expressions of Runx2, BMP2, OCN and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Together, we demonstrate that PEMF improve osteogenesis and osseointegration of pTi by promoting skeletal anabolic activities through a Wnt/β-catenin signaling-associated mechanism. PEMF might become a promising biophysical modality for enhancing the repair efficiency and quality of pTi in bone defect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Mingming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Shichao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, PLA 302 Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Xijing hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Guanghao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Orthopaedics, Xijing hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Orthopaedics, Xijing hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Xiaokang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Kangning
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Qiaoling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Erping
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D000069343:Bone-Implant Interface; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000293:injuries; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D016348:Osseointegration / Q000502:physiology*; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000502:physiology; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes; D014025:Titanium