The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on chondrocyte morphology

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a debilitating joint disease where the articular cartilage surface degrades and is unable to repair itself through natural processes. Chondrocytes reside within the cartilage matrix and maintain its structure. We conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the morphological response of cultured human chondrocytes under different pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) conditions. In the control experiments, cultured chondrocytes attached to the bottom of a culture dish typically displayed either a stellate or spindle morphology with extended processes. Experimental chondrocyte cultures were placed in a Helmholtz coil to which a ramp waveform was applied. Exposure to PEMFs caused the chondrocytes to retract their processes, becoming spherical in shape. This change in morphology followed a progression from stellate to spindle to spherical. These morphological changes were reflected in an average reduction of 30% in the surface contact area of the chondrocytes to the culture dish. Understanding the mechanisms by which PEMFs affect the morphology of chondrocytes will help lead to new treatments for osteoarthritis.

Pulsed electromagnetic field at different stages of knee osteoarthritis in rats induced by low‐dose monosodium iodoacetate: Effect on subchondral trabecular bone microarchitecture and cartilage degradation

“…Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) is a potentially useful treatment for OA, which has been shown to promote chondrocyte proliferation and endochondral ossification in vitro [Fioravanti et al, 2002;Jahns et al, 2007;Schmidt-Rohlfing et al, 2008;Sadoghi et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2015]. Moreover, PEMF can reduce catabolic effect of IL-1 [Ongaro et al, 2011;Ongaro et al, 2015;Veronesi et al, 2015] and upregulate gene expression of TGF-b in vivo [Ciombor et al, 2003;Shen and Zhao, 2010].…”

Is there a role of pulsed electromagnetic fields in management of patellofemoral pain syndrome? Randomized controlled study at one year follow‐up

“…Biophysical stimulation with cartilage specific PEMFs has been shown to promote anabolic chondrocyte activity, to stimulate proteoglycan synthesis [Varani et al, ; De Mattei et al, ], and to reduce release of the most relevant pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8, and PGE 2 by immune cells through upregulation of A 2A ‐adenosine receptors [Revell et al, ; Sakkas et al, ; Nakamura et al, ; De Mattei et al, , , ; Jahns et al, ; Stolfa et al, ; Benazzo et al, ].…”

Bone Marrow–derived Cells and Biophysical Stimulation for Talar Osteochondral Lesions

“…4,[12][13][14]24,39,41 PEMFs determine an up regulation of A 2A adenosine receptors whose activation is involved in the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine release, thus suggesting their potential therapeutic use in OLT. 15,44 The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of PEMFs on clinical outcome in patients who underwent BMDCs transplantation for OLT.…”